Living Beyond Life
by InariKiri
Summary: There is more between life and death. This grey area is where May operates, has been for a long time. She knows what she's doing, well, at least she used to. When a demon, determined not to let his human mother succumb to her illness crosses her path, all she knows and is familiar with takes on a whole new dimension. Kurama/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, another yyh story. I do love writing about my fav anime. The start has been laying in wait for a while now and I just now picked it up again. I couldn't help myself, though I have about three or four other stories still to work on. I hope you guys will enjoy it. It follows the anime for the most part, but I hope my twist and character are a bit more unique than something you've encountered before. I must say that I was a bit inspired by the ps4 game: I was murdered. It was awesome. Anyway, I don't own yu yu hakusho, though I wish I did. I do own my OC though.**

 **P.S. Looking for a beta reader who can help me mostly on my grammar, spelling and style faults and is willing to respect the story itself as that is my creative process. It helps if it's someone who enjoys the story.**

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Kurama traces small circles over his mother's pale and clammy palm as she lies motionless in the hospital bed. The sound of the heart monitor seems to magnify and echo around in his brain. "Minamino-san." someone clears their throat behind him. He turns around to see the doctor motioning him to follow him.

Kurama follows his doctor out to the hallway where he retrieves himself a coffee. "Can I get you anything?" he asks politely. "No, thank you." Kurama replies, feeling anxious. "Would you like us to sit down somewhere?" the doctor tries next to which the young man refuses. "No, please tell me doctor… Is my mother's condition improving? What are her chances?" he urges, wanting to get straight to the point.

Kurama looks at the man before him sternly, just about staring the slightly shorter figure down. The man pushes his glasses back up his nose as they start to slide down from the slippery perspiration gathering on his face.

"I'm very sorry young man, but there is little we can do for her right now. She does not react well to our treatment I'm afraid. All we can do is make her comfortable and hope that she has the strength left to pull herself out of this. Perhaps it would be best to prepare yourself for the worst." the doctor sympathetically replies to Kurama's urgent questions.

The doctor puts what is supposed to be a comforting hand on the teenager's shoulder. "Once again, I'm truly sorry. I wish we could do more." he states before leaving the redhead to himself in the busy hall of the city's hospital, surrounded by people, but never feeling this alone before. Never has he felt this crushed.

It was only a week ago when his mother suddenly collapsed in the garden, though it feels like it was months ago. Time never went by so slowly, since the moment he saw her face pale and sink to her knees from the other side of the kitchen window. And never before has he felt more powerless. Despite all his knowledge and strength, there is nothing he seems to be able to do.

There is no telling how soon, but too soon either way, he will have to part from the woman whom he intruded his demonic self upon. The woman who unknowingly raised him like her own and gave her all the love she could give. Even at that earlier time when he looked down upon her so cruelly, she loved him unconditionally either way. How could he ever repay her for all she did for him?

A harsh chill clawing up his spine breaks him free from his melancholy thoughts. The chill is caused by a presence on which he subconsciously tunes into whenever they are near. It is frightening and roots him to the ground every time. It makes his heart race uncomfortably and makes his pupils dilate while his hands grow clammy. And looking up, he indeed finds himself watching his worst enemy; Death.

Death doesn't come in the form of a horribly scary cloaked skeleton with a scythe though; the picture that induces fear in any mortal man. Death comes in a form more wicked; a pretty girl. With long loose braided stark white hair, bright turquoise eyes that look like a sea at a tropical beach and dressed in the whitest of kimono's, she looks perfectly innocent. Though despite the way she appears, Kurama despised her from the moment he laid eyes on her.

She was there, when they brought his mother in. He glared at her one moment before begging her with his eyes not to take away his mother, before going back to glaring when receiving no reaction. She just stood silently in the corner of the room, her eyes on his mother the whole time, waiting like a vulture for their prey to succumb.

She never did spare him a glance. She must have known he could see her there, but she chose to ignore him either way and has done so ever since. When his mother finally stabilized, she made a point of it by walking straight through him as she left. He wished he could hurt her at that moment.

It was a stupid thought and unlike him, he knows this within the reasonable part of his mind, but that part was being overridden at the time. Because of the stress of the thought of losing his mother, he doesn't feel like himself anymore. He feels like lashing out. When she's out of sight he manages to push the worst feelings and thoughts away, his feelings for her simmering down to a mild animosity, scorn and a touch of fear.

Though every time she appears to collect another soul, he is close to losing himself. Despite her disinterest at his mother at the moment, she is to him the embodiment that keeps reminding him how close his mother is to leaving this world and how powerless he is to prevent that from happening. When it comes to this…this manifestation of Death is more powerful than him and he truly hates the feeling.

His eyes widen further and a gasp escapes him when he sees her back disappear around the corner and into the corridor of the intensive care, where his mother is being kept.

He wastes no time in rushing after her, cursing himself for standing idle for so long. He has not a clue what he will do when they cross paths should she dare take his mother's soul, but he is hardly thinking at all right now, let alone making plans.

He follows her into his mother's room where she is being kept with a handful of other patients. He ignores the nurses who are silently chatting with each other at the desk and finds himself following Death's footsteps.

His chest tightens as they close in on his mother's bed where she lies sleeping peacefully. He can hear his heartbeat resonating in his ears as pressure builds within him.

His hand reaches out subconsciously, wanting to stop the girl in her tracks before she comes within two meters of the woman who he holds dear. That is when she suddenly stops in her tracks and turns her head just enough to catch him in an icy grip, effectively freezing him. He hadn't thought her acknowledgement would effect him so.

"Please." she starts in a breathy whisper, catching Kurama off guard, as the sound seems to lift some of the fog mugging his brain. "Let me do my job peacefully. Can you not see she is suffering?" she reasons, turning away from him once again.

Kurama follows her gaze towards the elderly woman lying just beyond his mother. Her breathing is labored and her face scrunched up in pain as she gazes weakly towards them both. In her eyes shines a hope, one of redemption being close by. The sight makes Kurama back off, letting his hand fall by his side as he takes a shaky step back.

As he watches Death continue her path, he retreats further to stand by his mother. As she clasps lightly onto the hand of the elderly lady, Kurama finds himself grasping onto his mother's.

The elderly lady smiles, relief clearly written on her face. The girl reaches out a hand to lay it on the woman's head in a seemingly soothing way, trailing it down to her cheek and looking down on the woman with a reassuring smile. "Everything is alright now." she whispers, making the woman smile more.

"T-thank you. Oh, t-thank you." she breathes out in her final words before letting her eyes fall closed as if drifting off in a peaceful sleep. It is only when the lady's monitors go haywire that Kurama dares to blink, as the realization sets in of what he just witnessed.

It was strangely beautiful, that moment when the lady felt she could let go of everything and trusted her soul to be taken care of by the girl beside her bed. She must have been waiting for that release for a while now and he realizes now, if he had meddled with Death, the lady had to have waited unnecessarily long. The woman would have suffered longer because of him.

He looks away, feeling ashamed as the girl passes him, cradling the soul of the elderly lady within her arms as if it were a child. She holds an accusing glare in her eyes. She has every right to condemn him should he have kept her from relieving one of long lasting pain.

He doesn't see her glare lighten as she lets her eyes flit over his mother before returning to him. With a sigh, she leaves him to his thoughts. Passing right through the nurses and doctors hurrying towards the empty shell of the elderly lady before she disappears from sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you Skylar1023 for your review. It was exactly what I was going for. It's nice to have it confirmed. This is a bit of a dark chapter, just so you guys know in advance. Talk of suicide ahead.**

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"Yoohoo! May-senpai~!" a disembodied voice echoes through the air, snapping said girl out of her thoughts.

"What?" she wonders, taking her gaze from the sunlit park and pond by looking up to see a bright pink blob soaring right at her. Waving behind her like a flag in the wind is a green blob similar in size.

As the blobs grows closer, May can distinct them to be people; one in the form of an overly excited grim reaper and the other as a bewildered looking boy. "Botan." May acknowledges simply as they hop off her oar.

She glances at the boy who looks back at her with curiosity in his doe-like brown eyes. "Botan…How many times do I have to tell you to ferry away the souls a quickly as possible? You know what happens to wandering souls." May scolds the blue-haired and pink-eyed grim reaper before her.

Botan only smiles back at her with a cat-like grin, though obviously feeling intimidated, as she seems to shrink in size. "I know, I know. But this is different!" Botan objects, making May tilt her head and pluck at the loose strands in her braid, disheveling it even further. "Oh? Do tell." she urges, not convinced.

Botan straightens herself, before motioning to the boy next to her, who hasn't said a word as of yet. "This is Yusuke Urameshi. Yusuke, meet May, she's a grim reaper like myself, though we work in different departments. I process the acutely dead. like accidental deaths such as yourself ,while May here processes those who die of illness and sometimes even suicides when Hana-chan is off duty." Botan explains happily.

"Fun." Yusuke mutters under his breath, not looking very excited. On the contrary.

"Anyway." Botan starts again, turning to her senior co-worker. "Yusuke here is still hanging around, because he wasn't supposed to die." she explains.

"Did you check your book?" May intervenes before she can continue. "Yes! Yes! Of course I did!" Botan huffs indignantly. "I already took him to see Koenma-sama and he told us to wait until he figured out what to do. Ne May-senpai, what do you think he will decide on?" she wonders, clasping her hands together and gazing up at the sky in thought.

May once again looks at the boy, slightly surprised. She can't remember having dealt with such a case as this herself. She heard about it though.

"A trial maybe?" she mutters to herself as she scrutinizes Yusuke. "Trial?" Yusuke questions, his eyes widening with interest.

Botan snaps back to the present at the mention of the word. "You really think so?" she wonders in awe. May shrugs in reply. "Perhaps, perhaps not. One never knows when it comes to Koenma."

"Hey hey, what is this 'trial' you're talking about?" Yusuke butts in impatiently. May looks back at him unimpressed. "Let's just say that you better not have long rep-sheet, or you're done for." she states, making Yusuke swallow hard.

"No worries Yusuke!" Botan pipes up. "You may look like an ordinary thug, but I'm sure you have a good heart inside." she assures him, making him grind his teeth at her half-assed compliment in annoyance. "Gee, thanks." he spits out.

"You sure have a lot of faith in the kid, Botan. Let's hope he doesn't prove you wrong." May hums.

"Who are you calling a kid?!" Yusuke asks indignantly at the degrading title. "You don't look like you're a day older than me…girl!" he retaliates; making May smirk at him in amusement.

"Nice comeback you derp. Anyway, I've been around long enough to see you're grandmother come out of her diapers, so I believe I have certain privileges." she tells him, making him look back at her surprised. "I stand corrected. You're way old!" he accuses, making her eye twitch as Botan looks at Yusuke horrified.

"Yusuke!" she reprimands, before tugging him away by his arm. "I'm sorry about him May-senpai! I will take him out of your sight now!" she apologizes before hurriedly throwing Yusuke on the back of her oar.

"Hey!" he shouts indignantly, but Botan is already off before he can say more. May is left to her own devices, sweat dropping at the scene and silently wishing Botan good luck with the short-fused boy. She's going to need it.

A beeping noise returns her attention back to the present. "Time to get back to work." She muses, getting up from her perch on the fence and jumping into the portal, transferring her back to the familiar grounds of the hospital.

Nighttime is approaching as she steps inside. The nurses are changing their shifts, making them bustle around even more than usual.

On instinct, May feels in which direction she has to go, where a soul is crying out for guidance. She's been doing this for long enough to go without her booklet.

'Pediatrics' the sign says as she steps into a more silent corridor. She resists the urge to sigh in dismay. She always regrets having to come here.

After finishing her task, May finds herself standing on the edge of the hospital building, staring down at the crowds below, just handling their own business.

May can't help think how tedious life can be at times. If only people were more aware of the bigger picture, than perhaps they would try to do something useful with their lives.

She vaguely registers the door to the roof opening. Believing it to be a smoker, as the nurses often come here to get their dose of nicotine, she just ignores it. Instead, she calculates the height of the building and wonders how much would remain of a person if they jumped. Not much, she concludes. She has seen her fair share of suicides, but luckily none too gruesome yet.

She can't help consider suicides being a bother to society, though on the other hand, she can understand the concept of not wanting to live anymore. She once wished to die, though she never took action on that thought. Something else had gotten to her before she could and after that, all she wanted was to live again. How silly she was.

"Thinking of jumping?" a voice questions, making her look back to see if someone was actually talking to her or if there were people up here that she didn't took into account.

She notices it's only her and that redhead that's been trying to kill her with his eyes for the past week. He's such an oddball, wanting her gone one moment, and wanting to talk the next. Can't he make up his mind?

"I don't think that would do much, considering I'm sort of dead already." she replies. "Sort of?" he catches, making her eyes narrow slightly in a mixture between annoyance and amusement. "Sort of." she repeats, not wanting to go in details with someone she hardly knows, or likes for that matter.

May jumps down from her perch, landing noiselessly on the roof. She turns to Kurama, looking him right in the eye. "Did you really come here for idle chat, or has something else been weighing on your mind?" she questions him.

He glances at the ground before him before peering back at May through the darkness. "Lately, I've encountered a lot of... frustrations." he says, nearly cringing at having to put a weakness into words.

May folds her arms over her chest unimpressed, wondering what he is getting at.

"Sadly I've been taking out some of that on you." he continues, making May scoff. Kurama's eyes narrow in annoyance at the gesture. "I would like to apologize." he finishes in a strained way, though still sounding sincere.

May tilts her head in curiosity, trying to make sense of his chance in attitude. "Never have I met anyone who had such difficulty apologizing." she starts, taking in the growing annoyance within the teen before her.

"That's alright however. I do suppose I can understand why you feel sore towards me. Just so you know; it bothers me little. If a glare is all you can muster after being able to see me, I would say that it is nothing in comparison to what some wish upon me without even knowing I'm there." she shrugs before smirking. "In other words: You're forgiven. Besides, I admit I was giving you a hard time on purpose." she admits.

Some weight seems to lift off of Kurama's shoulders at that moment as he visibly relaxes his stance just slightly.

"However…" May continues. "Do not stand in the illusion that there is anything I can do to safe your mother. I do not own the capability to cure ones sickness. I can only relieve one of the pain permanently. Though I figure, you of all people should know the workings of death's processes better than any common human." she jabs, making Kurama's stature tighten once more.

"You know who I am?" he questions wearily; scenario's running through his mind of how his stay there will play out further.

"There is nothing a little digging won't reveal if you know where to look." May states before explaining: "Your soul once had a different body. The amount of youki it carries doesn't correspondent with your body. Somehow, you stole your way into an other's body, probably a fetus, as they do not receive a soul before a certain time. As someone who has only seen the traditional form of a possession, you can imagine that it piqued my curiosity."

One would say that this would put Kurama more on guard, but to May's surprise, he relaxes. He even smiles, making May perk a delicate brow.

"You did not report me to Koenma." he states. "You know who I am and obviously what I did in the past, but you did not report me. Else I would have been picked up off the streets already." he concludes. "Why?" he asks, genuinely curious.

"Because of your mother." she states as if it's obvious. "If she does die, she shouldn't have to die alone." she explains making Kurama real back in his emotions.

"I wasn't under the assumption that you cared that much." he nearly spits out.

"How can you assume anything when you don't know me?" she retaliates. "Besides, Youko Kurama wasn't supposed to care for the lives of humans, but here he is doing just that." she muses pointedly.

They fall into an awkward silence until May concludes she has had enough. "Wait." Kurama starts, as she turns her back. "Is there…really nothing…to save my mother?" he asks silently as if unsure about asking May for her help.

She looks at him over her shoulder, her gaze piercing and calculating. He looks desperate and it does something to her. "How did you, a demon, come to care for a human so much?" she questions silently before asking out loud. "How much do you care for your human mother, Youko Kurama?"

"Why do you wish to know?" he questions in return. "Answer me fox. What would you do for her?" she asks, not amused by him dodging the issue.

"Anything." he states, a small glimmer of hope rising within him. Perhaps she does know a way he is unaware off.

She turns to him, staring him straight into his eyes. "Would you die for her?" she asks calmly, leaving Kurama silent for a moment. "I would." he finally answers with a determined nod.

"Hm." May hums before nodding in satisfaction. With a quick turn on her heel, she disappears from sight, leaving Kurama hanging and pondering on what just occurred.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey." May calls, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder before her, making him jump.

"Oh, it's just you. You almost scared me to death! What's the deal?" Yusuke grumbles annoyed.

May smirks, amused. "It's a gift. Anyway, Botan got tired of chaperoning you?" she asks, ignoring his attitude.

"Said she has stuff to do. What are you doing here? Came to replace her? I don't need a babysitter you know." he states making May purse her lips in attempt to hold her tongue.

"I was nearby and saw you wandering around rather aimlessly. Just came to warn you." she explains, making Yusuke furrow his brow. "Warn me? For what?" he wonders concerned.

"That." she points out though the darkness. Yusuke has to strain his eyes to see anything and it is not until something moves that he swiftly turns his head to May.

"What the hell is that?" he wonders in shock at the grotesque figure floating through the residential streets. It has no eyes to look at, only a gaping maw with saw like teeth and a body that looks to have been swallowed by darkness, barely able to make it out within the unlit street.

"You didn't think you would be the only spirit wondering about do you?" she asks making him look surprised. "You're telling me that's a spirit? You're kidding right?" May shakes her head, not taking her eyes away from said spirit. "There are some who manage to evade us and as time passes, well you can see, they don't end up well." she tells him seriously.

"Do they…always start to look like that?" he asks, looking grossed out as he stares at it. May nods in reply.

"It takes serious time to become like that and one has to be really unable to let go of whatever that is making one want to stay here. At one point you will start to change until you can't even remember what it is you are here for. Then, you are just a ghoul. The only purpose you'll have is to hunt down weaker spirits and consume them. You had better be careful and stay away." she warns him.

"Noted." he mutters, looking to be shivering.

He turns to her suddenly. "You were right by the way." he starts, fishing a large golden egg out of his jacket, showing it to her. It looks like one depicted from an old fairy-tale; Jack and the beanstalk. Just not as big.

"I see. He did give this trial to you." she muses, reaching out and letting her hand hover over it, trying to read its energy. "Mh." she hums to herself.

"What?" he urges, wanting to know what she seems to be reading from it.

She turns her eyes to him. "It's too early to say. It could go either way." she explains calmly, making him stare hard at the egg. "Take good care of it." she advises.

"Right." he mutters, putting it back. "Feels like a school assignment, you know, when they try to judge your parenting skills by making you carry around an egg all week without it breaking…. No?" he questions, seeing her blank look. "What did you do in your childhood?" he questions.

She grimaces at the question. "You don't want to know."

He glances around, looking awkward for all intend and purpose. He's not a social bird and he can tell that May isn't much one either, though she seems to speak with purpose and with confidence. She must be a smart person… reaper… thing, he concludes. Much more fitted for her job that the bright and cheery Botan. How she ever became a reaper, he'll never understand. How does anyone become one? He's about to ask when a beeping noise interrupts him.

May rises to her feet with a sigh. "Work." she mutters in explanation, turning around to leave.

"You don't look very excited about your job." Yusuke comments, seeing her slumped shoulders. She straightens them automatically after being called out.

"There is nothing exciting about death." she states before disappearing in the shadows.

A day has passes before May finds herself on the rooftop of the hospital again, facing a redhead who she's slowly getting more familiar with.

"Why did you call me here?" he asks, getting straight to the point. He had been surprised when she did.

She crosses her arms, looking at him dully. "The Forlorn hope." she states dryly. Kurama's eyes widen for a moment in interest. He knows of it.

"It's in Spirit world's vault. I trust you know how to figure out a way in, though that might not be the most difficult part. Getting out will be." she tells him.

"I will need help." he says, to which she shrugs.

"What you do beyond this point doesn't have anything to do with me. If you do get caught, you'd better not drop my name." she warns.

He nods in understanding before pausing, looking back in those cold blue eyes. "Thank you." he finally states.

She scoffs. "Don't thank me yet. If this works out, I'll be here to collect your soul instead of your mother's." she reminds him.

"I understand." he nods solemnly.

"Why are you helping me again?" he questions as she steps past him, ready to go back to her duties.

She glances back at him, in thought. "Hell if I know." she answers after a moment. "What?" she asks, seeing him shake his head in disbelief, a tiny smile on his lips.

He holds up a hand in defense. "I'm sorry, but I'm not actually used to someone lending a helping hand without wanting something in return." he admits, sounding a little skeptic still. "Plus, I don't even know your name." he adds as an afterthought.

She rolls her eyes. "You clearly have been hanging out with the wrong crowd." He chuckles ruefully at that. "Clearly." he states.

She throws him a final look before making her way down. "It's May by the way." she throws over her shoulder before leaving him on his own.

He nods to himself. "Thank you May."

…

"May-senpai~, I'm so happy Yusuke passed the trial. Now he's back to live." Botan tells her with a sigh. It has been a few days since she saw the boy.

May blinks at her. "Then why are you pouting?" she questions, not understanding what her problem is if everything worked out so well.

"Well, Koenma sorta… Well, he…" she stammers.

"Spit it out Botan!" May tells her, losing her patience.

"Eep!" she squeaks. "Well, Koenma decided to make Yusuke a Spirit detective and already send him on a mission before he could even have any training." she rushes.

May scoffs. "That idiot." she says, referring to her boss. "What does he have to do?" she wonders. Maybe it won't be so bad?

"Yesterday, the Spirit world vault was broken into. Three items were stolen by three demons. Yusuke is to capture them and bring back the items." Botan explains nervously, chewing on her lip.

She is too distracted to notice the look on May's face, which she masks quickly. She curses herself inside. This is her fault. Why did she have to tell Kurama about the Forlorn hope?

"Anyway, Koenma told me to help Yusuke along, but the first one we're after, Gouki, stole the Orb of Baast. He's been stealing the spirits of young children and…eating them." Botan shivers, making May's guilt increase. "I was hoping you have some advice." Botan tells her, looking slightly fearful.

May sighs after a moment. She knows she has to fix the mess she caused. "Where is this demon now?" she asks.

Botan shrugs. "We don't know yet. We lost sight of him after our first encounter."

May nods, relenting. "When you find him, call me. I will help you." she tells the other reaper.

Botan jumps at her excitedly. "Oh thank you, thank you~. You're the greatest May-senpai!" she cheers, hugging her tightly.

"Right." May breathes. If only Botan knew…


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys. I tweaked a little on my story. Trying to improve my writing and such. Morne is right in commenting on it. I could use some help, though I tried to fix some things myself since I found no help of a beta-reader just yet. I hope it is not my native language and although I nailed my classes back in school, I know writing a story is something else entirely.  
**

 **I'm open for a beta-reader and it would be good I think, if it's someone who likes the story. I would like it if someone respects my creative process on it. I can work with that if someone wishes to beta-read it. PM me if you're interested.**

 **Meanwhile, I will keep posting. I can always tweak it later if needed.**

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May crosses her arms as she stands waiting in the middle of the empty hallway. She's upset and a certain someone is about to get it.

Getting to Gouki, regaining the artifact he stole and free the spirits he gathered was a hassle and Yusuke really suffered from the fight. Plus… some spirits were lost forever. It was eating at her.

Her head whips around so she can face Kurama as he steps out of his mother's room. She has been moved to a more private room earlier as seclusion made it easier for her to cope.

"You're more trouble than you're worth." she tells him when he acknowledges her presence. He looks very troubled and very tired for a demon she notes, but she will not hold back just because of the look in those sorrowful eyes. Not this time.

"Your 'friend' has caused a lot of trouble. He beat up a boy who was thrown into this mess just because he was there at the wrong time and wrong place, twice I might add, and my co-worker is stressed out like I've never seen her and I have at least two spirits that are lost forever! And who knows what your other 'buddy' is up to!" she sums up, stepping up to him angrily.

She clenches her fists when he stays silent, opting to staring at the ground instead of looking at her. She makes a noise of disappointment before sighing, turning to glare at the wall.

"I've been an idiot. What possessed me to even tell you about the Forlorn hope? It's all my fault. I made a mistake and now I have to deal with the consequences." she mutters to herself, starting to pace. "Stupid, stupid girl!" she scolds herself. She's more angry with herself than anyone else. She should have known better.

Kurama looks up at her in surprise. He didn't think she would blame herself for what he did. He just thought she would be upset with him alone. He knew bringing in Gouki and Hiei would cause trouble for Spirit world, but unwillingly he put a guilty complex onto the one person who reached out a helping hand.

"I'm very sorry." he tells her sincerely.

Her only reply is a glare telling him where to shove his apologies, but he perseveres. "Please do not blame yourself for your act of kindness towards me. It's one I didn't deserve in the first place…" he sidetracks somewhat.

"It was not my intend to cause you unnecessary trouble. I would have preferred not to, but as you know, I was rather in a hurry. So I knowingly used the help of two others that I was aware that would possibly cause such trouble. That was my choice to make, not yours. So blame me if you want, but not yourself." he urges, watching her closely as she slowly stops her pacing.

"When are you going to use the damn thing?" she questions softly, still looking upset, but not as much as before.

Kurama looks down in thought. "In two days, when the moon is full." he tells her.

May looks over at him, her emotions buried behind a mask. "You had better make your time with her worth while." she tells him.

He meets her eyes, taking in a deep breath before nodding. "I will."

Suddenly, May jerks her head around. Kurama could see a flash of fear before anger replaced it when a sound seems to reach her ears that he cannot hear. What could it be?

He watches as her pupils seem to cloud over as she looks around carefully and he realizes that she's looking through the walls themselves. A useful skill he notes.

She freezes for a moment as she spots whatever caught her attention. "What is it doing here on my turf?" she whispers under her breath, tilting her head. He has to strain to hear her. It helps that it's so silent tonight. The nurses are at their post and the patients in their beds.

"What is it?" Kurama can't help but ask, looking in the direction she is looking in. He is curious by nature.

She doesn't turn to him when she answers. "It's a ghoul; a rotten soul. Something I'll have to take care of." she says, though she seems to carry some trepidation. Kurama realizes she's scared.

"Can I help?" he offers, wanting to redeem himself if even a little in her eyes after all he caused her.

She blinks in surprise, looking back at him. Her surprise turns to something akin to dejection.

"No. Even if you somehow could, you cannot perceive it. No. This is my job and mine alone." she says as a matter of factually. "Now, I have to hunt." she says, before once again gaining those clouded eyes before she marches straight through the wall.

Kurama can't help himself. He rushes into the direction she went into, casting a hurried glance into each corridor he passes.

His eyes widen when he reaches one just in time to see May flying though the wall and skidding across the tiled floor, having her breath knocked out of her. He realizes with surprise, that even she has her vulnerabilities.

She quickly scrambles up before darting toward the other end and rushing around the corner.

It's strange to see someone fighting something that he indeed cannot see, hear or even sense. But… there is something. It's like a shadow. The lights seem to dim as if something passes in front of it. Something is here. And whatever it is, it's a danger towards someone like May. That much is clear. It seems there are some things he does not know of yet after all. And he probably never will, as his life will be forfeit soon.

May meanwhile rushes around, the ghoul on her heels as she tries to work her way around so she can approach it from behind. It's the safest way to attempt to destroy it.

She cringes at the screech it releases as it frustrates itself over not being able to catch her. She calms her breathing, as it appears to have lost her momentarily.

She takes this moment to circle the creature as it glares into the corridors, making use of passing through the walls in the rooms around it, keeping her eyes on it. She's glad that these creatures don't share her gift of vision.

She now stares at its back. She's in position. She knows it's best not to wait too long when she is, so she runs forward, appearing in the hallway, her hands held out in front of her as she touches its energy. It's then that she starts to absorb it, leaving the creature to screech once more.

Suddenly, it burst apart in a flash of red, disintegrating, as it no longer has the energy to keep its manifestation stable.

May shakes her hands as if to rid herself of the traces of the creature. She shivers at the cold that gripped at her in that short moment.

Facing ghouls is never fun. They're foul and scary creatures, and most of all dangerous. Not just to spirits, but to her as well. If one should get a proper hold of her… well… let's just say that it won't be pretty.

But today she is victorious once again. She will never take it for credit though. Even a victory leaves its mark. It's like another scar on her soul. With each one, she receives another dark patch on her soul, dehumanizing her further. It's ironic; the more she is affected, the stronger she gets.

Not many reapers are qualified for the job of hunting ghouls. Botan for example isn't. Many years May's junior, Botan isn't ready to take them on and May doubts that she'll ever be. Botan is too innocent and freezes over whenever she sees one. May can't blame her. They're damn frightening.

A shuffle shakes her out of her thoughts and she looks down the hallway to see Kurama watching her carefully. She realizes he had followed her. She looks away and leaves in silence. They both have better things to do she decides.


	5. Chapter 5

The full moon came along quickly. May stayed away when Yusuke and Botan arrived to confront Kurama, leaving them to it on the roof.

She'd rather stay away from the hospital all together to avoid this mess. But as Kurama's mother deteriorates, she couldn't discard her duties, so she waits in the corner of the hospital room instead.

To Kurama's credit, he never mentioned May's involvement in this whole business when they were all present in the room earlier. He actually acted like this was the first time he saw her.

May knows that despite him covering for her, she would have to fess up eventually. She isn't one to run away from her responsibilities. She was going to, but when Kurama dragged the two criminals; Gouki and Hiei into this, her involvement became too great.

May sighs. Waiting for the moment of someone's death has never taken so long. She would've relieved the woman of her pain already if she wasn't uncertain of the outcome of the confrontation happening above her head.

That is another difference between her and Botan. She gets to somewhat decide when someone passes. She actually makes them pass. While Botan only has to be there at the right time and ferry away the soul once it's done. Another perk of being a senior reaper. May rolls her eyes. Some perk.

She looks up when Kurama's mother stabilizes all of a sudden, surprising the doctors working on her. Some even call it a miracle making May smile wirily. There's no miracle happening here, just the determination of a demon son who cares very much for his human mother.

It's a bit sad though, now that the moment has come. Now, his mother will be left to grieve her son. Is that even fair? She will never know of the sacrifice her son made for her. She will wake up, to find him gone. Just like that. Yes. It is very sad indeed. May didn't expect to feel so dissatisfied afterwards.

With another sigh, she turns to go. She ought to see if Botan took away Kurama's spirit yet or not. "Holy…!" she exclaims, when a red blur passes her all of a sudden.

She looks over to see Kurama hovering over his mother with a smile. She is looking up at him with equal happiness, having just woken up and feeling better than she has in a long time.

May gapes at the scene, completely confused. How did this happen? How are they both alive and well? Did..? Oh no he didn't. He did, didn't he?

She briskly leaves the room, rushing to the rooftop to find Botan and Yusuke talking animatedly. The mirror lies discarded on the ground. "Botan?" she calls, blinking confused.

"Hi May-senpai! Things worked out pretty well here. It seems everyone got their wish granted today." she beams. May blinks, still a bit confused before managing a small genuine smile, making Botan perk up even more. She hardly sees a smile on her co-workers face anymore.

"It seems so." May hums.

…

Hiei. It was just him left now. When he is under lock and key and the artifact, the Shadow sword is back in the vault where it belongs, most of the mess will be cleared. May will go to Koenma straight after and admit to him her stupidity.

He will not be pleased to know that she of all people had triggered the break in and effectively the aftermath that followed, but first things first.

"Talk I tell you. My patience has its limitations and I suggest not seeking it out." she warns, squeezing the tiny demon in her hands. It's grey and has a tail. May found it spying on her after she spoke to Yusuke about Hiei earlier.

The demon squeaks as she applies pressure on its tiny body. "Crushing you would be so easy. And I don't feel like ferrying you away afterwards. I'm considering feeding you to a ghoul. Surely they will consider your spirit a nice snack." she threatens as it keeps it's jaws shut tight.

"You wouldn't! You're a mere tool of Spirit world. If your superior finds out you killed someone, you'll be scraping dirt from the walls of Limbo!" it counters, trying to sound confident.

May looks at it unimpressed. "You make yourself out to be more important than you really are. Besides…" she smirks. "Who's to find out?" She squeezes a little harder.

"Ah! Alright, alright! I'm to find out the Spirit detective's weakness, so master Hiei can use it against him. Urameshi has to die!" he squeals, now a bit more eager to talk.

"And what is his weakness?" May interrogates.

"A girl called Keiko Yukimura. She's his classmate." the demon reveals.

"I see." May mutters. Hiei must already know and be planning to do something to this girl she realizes, if he hasn't already. "Where is he hiding?" she asks.

"In the warehouse district." the demon confesses.

May nods, satisfied. With a flick of her wrist, she discards the tiny demon. "If you're smart, you'll leave this world. If I find you again, I will take you to Koenma, if Hiei doesn't get to you first for your betrayal." she tells it, making it gulp before darting off without a second thought.

"You're well practiced at bluffing." a voice rings from behind her. She looks over her shoulder to see Kurama appearing from the shadows. "You were bluffing right?" he questions, seeing the serious look on her face. He's usually good at reading people, but May makes him second-guess himself.

"Are you going to be stalking me now?" she asks bluntly in return, ignoring his question.

He simply smiles in reply. "I wish to repay you and Yusuke for your kindness. You for aiding me in saving my mother's life and Yusuke for saving mine. I know Hiei. I can help you." he states, making her quirk a brow.

"If you insist." May counters. "You make creating enemies into an art form if you keep switching sides like that." she warns him.

He looks unconcerned however. "I do what I must." he states, making her look at him oddly. She can't figure this guy out for the life of her.

"Tell me a bit about him." May urges Kurama as they rush to where Hiei's supposed whereabouts are. She will not use a portal, for Koenma will know.

"He's a powerful demon, very quick. One of his other strong suits is his mastery of the Jagan eye." Kurama reveals.

May realizes that this must mean that he has some abilities of the mind. She heard some things about the Jagan and she shudders at the thought that someone would willingly let it be implanted into him.

They halt as they reach the area, trying to pinpoint where exactly they have to go. "I see them." May states, spotting their forms inside one of the warehouses. "Yusuke and Botan are already here." she explains, running towards the place with Kurama next to her.

Unlike him, she doesn't have to find a way in and just barges through the doorway, halting at the scene before her.

While Yusuke is fighting a green skinned Hiei, Botan is struggling to keep another girl, Keiko she guesses, from the effects of the Shadow sword.

May silently sneaks over towards the other reaper, ushering her aside to take her place before she keels over.

Botan smiles gratefully, remembering to stay silent so she won't attract Hiei's attention. May's powers are more effective and she holds out well from letting Hiei take control of Keiko. However, she can't cure it.

She glances over at Yusuke to see him having a hard time dealing with a demon as powerful as Hiei. Hiei has him trapped actually, rendering him unable to move as he locked him down with his energy. He's also ready to go in for the kill. Her eyes widen as Hiei thrusts his sword towards Yusuke.

Suddenly, Kurama slides into its path, blocking the sword from reaching Yusuke. However, it is firmly lodged inside his own stomach, shocking everyone alike.

"Damnit! What do you think you're doing?!" Hiei shouts at him, glaring at his former partner in crime.

Kurama answers him by cutting his hand on the sword and flinging his blood into Hiei's Jagan eye. It effectively makes him back off as he's momentarily blinded.

Now distracted, Yusuke is released from Hiei's hold. Kurama ushers Yusuke to take care of it before Hiei recovers before he staggers over to the girls.

May glares at him unamused, eying his bleeding wound. "You are officially the greatest moron I've ever known." she scolds him, making him chuckle half-heartedly before he crashes down beside them.

Shaking her head, she focuses on her own task. She's starting to feel slightly tired from fighting the sword's powers for so long. She's pretty tough, but she isn't used at battling demonic forces.

"Kurama! You'll pay for that!" Hiei shouts, haven gotten over the initial pain. He's about to retaliate when Yusuke steps into his path.

"You will fight me!" he calls determinately. May is impressed. The role of Spirit detective suits him well it seems.

Yusuke still has a hard time though when they go at it again. Hiei is simply stronger than he is, so the only thing he can do is try and outsmart him. That won't by easy however. Yusuke manages to form a plan though.

He staggers away, pretending to flee. It distracts Hiei from his true purpose as he positions himself.

"You're so miserable! You think you can escape me now?" Hiei laughs. "That's very optimistic of you!" he calls out before following after the boy.

Yusuke finds the right angle and fires his spirit energy into the form of the Spirit gun attack. As expected, Hiei dodges the blast.

Smug about Yusuke wasting his energy and missing being able to dodge so easily, Hiei doesn't notice the blast bounce off the forlorn hope that he brought with him like Hiei demanded. It's already to late to do anything when the blast hits him in the back.

"I wasn't hobbling along for nothing." Yusuke smirks, surprising Hiei who looks at him with a mixture of amazement and scorn.

"What kind of guy are you…?" Hiei chokes out questioningly before crashing into the ground unconscious.

Yusuke releases a deep breath before hurrying over with the sword, taking from it the antidote to cure Keiko. They watch in relief as the eye on her forehead close completely and disappearing after administrating it.

"Thanks May, for keeping it from opening for so long." Yusuke thanks her.

"Yes! May-senpai is so cool~." Botan sings, glomping the other girl.

"Botan!" May scolds, unceremoniously shoving her off.

"Thank you too Kurama. I owe you one." Yusuke tells the red head with gratitude. "Are you okay?" he asks, worried as seeing how much blood he has lost.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He missed anything vital." Kurama assures him, ignoring May's glare.

"Ne Yusuke. When did you learn that the Spirit gun could reflect off a mirror?" Botan can't help but ask.

"I first found out a minute ago." Yusuke confesses to her surprise. "He was really quick you know? I figured I couldn't hit him with it, except from behind. The mirror just happened to fall out and face my way." he winks.

"So..." Kurama starts, amazed.

"Yeah. I figured if I was lucky, it would reflect the way it does with light." Yusuke grins.

May rolls her eyes. "Is everything going to ride on dumb luck with you?" she sighs.

"Hey. Whatever works right?" Yusuke retorts dryly, making her stare at him blankly for a moment.

"You're such a kid." she scoffs out of the blue, irking him.

"You're just jealous! Why do you have to have to be so sour all the time? It makes your age show!" he rebukes, making her guffaw.

"Yusuke~!" Botan pouts while Kurama tries to suppress a chuckle. Why can't he keep his mouth shut?

* * *

 **Please let me know what you think of the story. Sadly I haven't had that much reviews yet and I really enjoy getting some feedback. So please take a moment to do so if you would be so kind.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Extra chapter this week. Just because I can.**

* * *

"Mmh." Koenma hums, frowning hard as he sucks loudly on his pacifier.

May waits with bathed breath for whatever he has to say after her confession. She really doesn't know what to expect.

"Gah! Botan was right! I should have forced you on a vacation!" he suddenly exclaims.

"What?" May wonders stunned.

"Do you know have many relieve hours you still have?! No wonder you're head isn't on straight!" Koenma scolds.

May growls. This is a discussion that has had many predecessors.

"I told you, I don't need a vacation!" she spits back. "I'm dead!" she reminds him.

"Not dead enough to not need a vacation! You haven't stopped working since you got here!" he retorts.

"So what?!" May counters unimpressed, crossing her arms.

"So what?!" Koenma repeats. "You're making stupid decisions! You need to get away for a while." he nods.

"No! I don't! Who's going to cover for me huh?" she rebukes.

"You're not the only reaper you know. I'm telling you, you're taking a vacation!" Koenma orders, stomping his feet childishly.

May stands firmly. "If you want me to take a vacation, you'll have to kick me out!" she dares him.

She blinks in surprise as she gets to her feet, seeing the portal close behind her. "Me and my big mouth. He could have at least let me pack some of my stuff." she huffs before being hit in the head by a backpack.

"Ow! Gee, thanks." she retorts, rubbing the back of her head. Angrily, she takes her communicator and tries to call Koenma.

" _You reached the message service of the great Lord Koenma…_ " Frowning, she closes the damn communicator before putting it away. "Great."

She steps out of the alleyway, looking around carefully. She has changed out of her uniform, her precious kimono that hides her from the common man. It's not a skill she owns herself. She's exposed now, stuck in a pair of black skinny jeans and white blouse. Her hair is flowing freely to her bottom.

She's wondering what the heck she should do now and where she should go.

Feeling completely out of her element, she wanders the streets a little bit before she ends up at the mall, sheltering for the rain that decided to poor down on her. Koenma really didn't think this through. She's practically a homeless person now.

It's pretty late and it's rather quiet in the mall. The shops are just closing up and she just sits there staring at the fountains next to a food court. She rubs her stomach, actually feeling a bit hungry. Damn Koenma!

Taking out her communicator she stares at it for a moment. She should probably ask for help so she'll at least have somewhere to sleep, but who? Just about everyone she knows lives in Spirit world. Everyone but Kurama and Yusuke that is, but she doesn't know either well enough to be asking for their help and she hasn't even told Yusuke yet that she's the reason he got dragged into being a detective yet. She can't take advantage of him while she hasn't explained herself yet. Sighing, she puts the communicator away again.

"Hey!" a voice calls, making May jump up with a snort. She looks around in surprise, realizing she must have fallen asleep. "It's time to go little miss. We're closing up." a security guard tells her.

"Oh right. I'll be out of your way. Excuse me." she says, bowing politely before darting outside. She sighs as she shivers slightly at the nightly breeze outside.

She decides there is only one option for her considering the circumstances… She saunters into an alleyway beside the mall before checking if the coast is clear. Satisfied, she walks through the wall, back inside.

….

"Ooow!" May moans, falling out of the closet she's been sleeping in, the cushions she gathered to make her little nest tumbling out after her. She purposely stayed in a corner of the furniture store that hardly anyone wanders though. Seriously, these closets are hideous.

"I though Botan was joking when she told me you were living at the mall." a voice above her says amusedly, making May look up to face Yusuke. "Just out of curiosity, what's it like huh? This is about every kids dream."

"It sucks. I haven't showered in three days and I'm eating scraps from the food court." she explains, getting to her feet.

"Gross." Yusuke grimaces.

"Get your stuff and meet me outside. All this puke yellow is making my eyes hurt." he tells her before turning on his heels and leaving her there staring after him confusedly.

Grabbing her small backpack she rushes through the walls before ending up in the alley where Yusuke finds her a minute later.

"So what's the deal? You got fired?" he asks, shoving his hands in his pockets.

She can't help but snort. "Worse. He's making me use saved up vacation days. I officially have 840 of them left. I really hope he doesn't plan on making me use them all." she explains, looking fearful.

Yusuke gawks at her. "You make workaholics look bad!" he exclaims.

He shakes his head, recovering from the shock. "Come on." he motions his head for her to follow.

"Where are we going?" she wonders.

"Home." he replies as if it's obvious, making her halt in her tracks.

"Yusuke… I have to tell you something…" she starts carefully, looking down at her feet nervously.

He looks back at her boredly. "Don't bother. Botan already told me. That girls blabs about everything she hears." he says, surprising her. She looks up, eyeing him carefully.

"You're not mad?" she dares to ask.

He merely stares at her, not giving away any emotions. "I will be if you keep beating yourself up about it. Now hurry your ass up will you?" he urges, sauntering away.

A bit stunned, May decides the only thing she can do is follow him.

Time passes. She's been staying with him for a few days now. Surprisingly, his mother doesn't mind one bit. She doesn't even ask why she isn't going to school. Then again, May noticed, Atsuko isn't your typical mother.

However, Koenma has ordered Yusuke to go to master Genkai's, leaving her practically alone again. Koenma heard that the old master is looking for a successor and thought it would be the best way for Yusuke to learn how to fight properly. Not only that, but there's a demon after Genkai's powers as well and Yusuke is to stop him from doing so.

Anyway, May has been bored out of her mind, so much so that she has taking to hunting ghouls in the evening hours just for the heck of it. You can image when her communicator beeped, that she rushed to answer. However, despite her initial happiness when Koenma reluctantly told her he had a tiny occupation for her to keep her busy, she didn't quite expect what he had in mind.

…..

May bounces on the balls of her feet with a mixture of impatience and annoyance, waiting for the door to open of the family home in front of her. Nope. This is not at all what she was expected to be doing.

"May? What are you doing here?" Kurama wonders as he stands in the doorway, mostly looking surprised, but not upset or anything of the sort.

"Meet your parole officer." she states boredly, making him nod slowly in realization.

"Ah. I see." he hums. "I suppose it's only logical, but I didn't expect it to be you." he admits.

"Neither did I." she retorts.

"Would you care to come in? My mother is out." he invites, stepping aside.

"I know." she states. She checked if he was home alone before she came knocking. She knows Kurama hides his true identity from her. "How is she?" May asks as she follows him to the kitchen where he offers her a seat at the table. Their home is rather cozy she notices.

"She's doing well I suppose, thank you for asking. I believe I have you and Yusuke to thank for that." he nods as he gathers supplies for tea.

May doesn't say anything to that. Not sure what she could say in the first place.

"Does Hiei have a parole officer as well?" Kurama can't help but wonder, already pitying the poor soul who has to check up on him and make sure he's keeping to the agreements made with Koenma.

"You're looking at her." May states, clearly displeased. Kurama laughs awkwardly at the admission. "I don't think he noticed yet. I hope." she mutters the last part to herself.

"If he hasn't let you know, I don't suppose he has." Kurama nods.

"So why you, if you don't mind me asking? I mean, surely you're keeping yourself busy?" Kurama tries carefully as he sits down across from her.

"Not anymore." she tells him, making him look pensive.

"When I was up there with Koenma discussing my situation, he told me you have admitted to him that you were the start of everything and gave you your own sentence. Were you fired?" he questions, feeling guilty at the thought of the trouble he caused, even though the results were good.

"No, not fired. Forced to take a vacation." she explains.

"Well, that's nice." Kurama smiles innocently, before quickly dropping it after seeing May's face. "No?" he questions.

"No. No it's not." she nearly growls. "Anyway, Koenma was short on staff in that department and I was in the city already." she finishes with a shrug.

"So~." she drawls before gulping down her tea as Kurama watches with amusement. "You two are still in one piece, not planning anything beyond what you're having for dinner? Good. Job well done I'd say." she nods to herself after setting her cup down.

It was like she just realized how completely awkward it is to be sitting there at the kitchen table of a guy she barely knows and having a casual chat, especially considering this context.

She decides to ignore it as Kurama tries hard to hide his laughter as she marches for the door. He's enjoying this a little more than he should. He's such a sadist she realizes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews you guys! It good to hear people like the story. Here's a bit more backstory on May. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Go on Botan. Take it away." May urges the blue-haired woman from her position against the wall.

"Neh May-senpai. Are you sure? Do you want me to-.."Botan starts before May shakes her head tiredly.

"No. You're not telling Koenma. Who knows what he'll do." she interrupts.

"Mmh." Botan pouts in thought. "I'll check up on you later then?" she more states than questions. May nods, waving at her to go. With that, she takes the rescued spirit with her.

Now alone in the abandoned building; May slumps down in exhaustion, heaving a heavy sigh. She just faced and beat three ghouls. One almost had her, sucking her energy from her, trying to crush her soul. She really hates those things and she'll never be too proud to admit that she fears them.

"You didn't show up at yesterday." a voice startles her, making her snort awake as she nearly dozed off.

"What? Did you miss me already?" she asks jokingly as Kurama steps out of the shadows. How does he do that? "How did you even find me?" she wonders, eying the teen that she has become more than a little acquainted to over the past few weeks.

Yusuke has been gone for three week now. The only daily interaction she has is with Kurama. She occasionally hangs out with Botan and Atsuko is okay to talk to if she's at home that is. Her encounter with Hiei where he threatened to slice her open after finding out she was checking up on him on a regular basis doesn't count in her book.

Kurama shrugs casually. "I've gotten pretty familiar with you energy signature by now. I know when you're close by." he explains. May blinks at him with a blank look.

"So is this what you do in your spare time?" he questions, making it her turn to shrug.

"Basically." she answers with a shrug.

"It looks tiring… and dangerous." he states, stepping up to her and holding out a hand to help her to her feet. After a moment she takes it, nodding in thanks.

"What happens if one of them should get to you?" he asks curiously, watching as she pats the dust off of her clothes.

Straightening herself, she looks off into the distance. "The same will happen when they catch a spirit. My soul will be broken apart and consumed. Afterward, there will not be a trace of me left. It's painful, like being quartered." she explains with an emotional distance as if it's part of a case study, but the look in her eyes tell him she's had close call more than once.

He hesitates for a moment before asking his next question. "Back at the hospital, I could not see it like you said, except for a shadow that seemed to darken the area. What is it they look like?" he wonders, folding his arms as he gazes around the area, eying the dark corners as if something would be lurking there.

May glances at him, wondering about his curiosity for a moment before deciding it must be just his nature. "It's hard to explain to someone that cannot see them…" she starts.

"Someone that's alive you mean?" he asks, making her nod.

Yusuke can't see them anymore since his spirit returned to his body. He told her though, that at times he swore he could sense them. May decided for his sake to wave it off as paranoia even when he was right, else he would worry about it all the time.

It's not something he should busy himself with anymore. Especially not when he confided in having nightmares about them. They are not interested in him either anyway.

She supposes Kurama should have some solid nerves though. He's seen many things while Yusuke is still pretty new to all things otherworldly. Thinking on it for a moment, she makes a decision.

"Follow me if you really want to know. Though I am warning you ahead of time, you might regret it." she warns, walking off slowly towards a place she knows there will be some holding up. She doesn't have to wait long for the fox demon to follow after her. He's a ridiculously curious person.

They find themselves in an ordinary looking street in the suburbs. There is nothing special about it, it appears that way at least, with its family homes and little park at the end of it. So Kurama can't help but look to May with confusion as she stops their stroll there.

"What I am about to show you is how I view the world. That includes the things that once were. I can only see them because of my position. Botan is too much of a rooky to be allowed to see. Besides, she's too soft. Her heart is too gentle to be confronted with such despair. It will ruin her." she explains, turning to him.

"I have to ask you if you are sure about this, because it will change how you perceive the world. There is no shame in walking away from it. So are you?" she asks him, her tone ordering him to be truthful and not trying to be brave.

Kurama looks around the peaceful neighborhood once more, really thinking it through as he takes her words to heart. But deep down he knows his lust for knowledge will keep him from declining.

Part of him is wondering what it's like for his own selfish reasons, but another small part wants to understand May a bit better. After knowing her for a few weeks now and they are seemingly getting along, he realizes he hardly knows anything about her.

Now that she's finally offering a part of herself, he feels like he can't let that opportunity to slip past. After all, it's only fair since she seems to know so much about him already.

"I'm ready if you are." he tells her, showing no hint of hesitation.

She nods stoically. "Alright. You don't have to do anything but watch." she tells him, her eyes growing clouded as she reaches a hand to his face, covering his eyes.

He's surprised to find he can still see though. It's like he's looking through her hand into a whole different world. It's almost like watching a black and white movie that is projected onto the whole world around him.

He sees buildings in ruin, fires that seem to burn without end and lost souls wandering about. They seem to look like they were when they passed. He swears one of them has bullet holes ripped through him.

His attention is caught as the spirits rush to hide when a menacing presence makes itself know.

Finally he sees what May is facing on a regular basis. He understands her fear now as the ghoul seems too ooze malice as it seeks for a spirit that has not concealed itself.

Looking around some more, his eyes take it all in while his mind seems to lag in comprehension.

He looks to May in question, wondering if this is truly her world. But even she looks different in this world. She's dressed in a knee length dress and wearing a pair of low heels with straps. Her hair is braided and twisted into a tight bun.

She would appear very feminine and dainty, were it not for the patches of dirt on her dress and face. Her knees are scraped. And he can see now that the pretty dress is singed at the edges and so are the little tufts of hair springing from her braid.

His mind is slowly starting to piece together her story when she snaps him out of it by taking back her hand. The world returns back to it's usual familiar self and so has May. At least in his eyes it has he realizes.

He takes a few deep breaths so he can ground himself and put away most of the information to pick apart later. There is one question that is weighing heavily in his mind though.

May seems to know what it is, because she answers him before he can ask. She doesn't want him to stretch the subject any longer than needed.

"I died from smoke inhalation. Pretty basic stuff." she states, not showing anything on her face, though Kurama is pretty sure it's not an easy subject.

"When was this?" he wonders, remembering the old fashioned outfit.

"September first of 1923." she answers, knowing Kurama knows his history, the good student he is. It was the day a great earthquake shook the land, followed by massive fires.

He nods in understanding, striding alongside May once again as she starts walking away from the seemingly peaceful neighborhood and back to downtown Mushiyori.

"Thank you for showing me." Kurama tells her after a few minutes of silence.

She simply nods, before eying him with slight worry. "You do not regret it?" she questions to which he shakes his head in reply after a moment of thought. It relieves her.

She wasn't sure at first, but having someone know what she faces on a daily basis aside from a selective circle within Spirit world, makes a weight lift off her shoulders.

Not even Yusuke was subjected to that, being all 'fresh' to the world of spirits. It's something you sink into the longer you are subjected to it. And now Kurama knows; a demon with smarts she can't parallel and whom she is sharing this strange and unlikely friendship with.

"So how did you end up becoming a reaper, what's Spirit world's selection procedure?" Kurama wonders before blinking in surprise when May spits out an uncharacteristic laugh.

"There is no procedure. As I sat there awaiting my judgement from King Enma, I saw the application posted on the wall. The only requirement was that you had the will to do it." she explains, smile still pasted on her face.

This makes Kurama chuckle as well, the explanation being rather anti-climactic after everything he learned today.


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy New Year's guys! A quick update to celebrate. Enjoy!**

* * *

Yusuke comes tumbling out of bed when his full schoolbag comes hurtling at him, hitting him in the head unceremoniously. "What the hell?!" he shouts, looking around for the culprit, only to see May looking around the corner of his doorway sneakily.

"You're going to be late for school." she points out, making him growl.

"You're seriously making me regret letting you live here, you moocher." he scoffs, making her roll her eyes.

"If you want me to go, just say so. Though that means you're going back to stale cereal for breakfast." she tells him, making him shudder.

He has to admit that her living with him and his mom has its perks. She knows how to cook a proper meal and makes sure things are clean around the house. But on the other hand, she's adamant that he goes to school.

When he argued with her about it, she told him he was lucky he even receives an education. It made him feel guilty, because although May is pretty smart, Yusuke has the feeling she never had the opportunity to use that wit of hers.

So, although reluctant about going back to school for the first time since he came back from his training, he gets up and readies himself. When he's finished, he struts out of his room to the smell of a full Japanese breakfast.

"What the heck am I gonna say to the teachers when they see me showing up after a month?" he wonders worriedly as he sits down at the small dining table across from her. They never used the thing for its purpose before May came.

Eying the used bowl on the kitchen counter, it looks like his mom was already gone, off to her new job. Yusuke would never have thought hat she would start doing something useful with her life. How things have changed.

"Nothing. Koenma took care of it. Just act like usual." May assures him, making him smirk. "No. You are not skipping class today." she scowls, making his smirk fall like a ton of bricks.

"Anyway, I was gonna hang out with Keiko and Kuwabara after. You wanna come?" Yusuke invites. She hasn't really had a chance to meet either of them properly. She only glimpsed Kuwabara from afar once and Keiko was unconscious when she first saw her.

"Sure." May answers, a little timid. She really is still somewhat unused to meeting new people. "I'll come and find you guys when I'm ready." she nods.

"You doing your rounds? How are Hiei and Kurama by the way?" he questions.

May shrugs in answer. "Okay I guess. Though with Hiei I can't really tell. He barely tolerates my presence. Finding him takes up most of my time and I talk to Kurama when he gets off school usually."

Yusuke nods with a quiet hum, before finishing shoveling the food down his throat. "Well, see ya later!" he calls, grabbing his backpack and jacket before hurrying out the door.

…..

May growls grumpily, having wandered around for three hours without a sign of Hiei. She knows he's close by, but he just really enjoys watching her having to work for it in finding him. Him making her waste her time like this just pisses her off.

Still steaming, it takes her a moment to realize there is a really annoying buzzing sound in her ears. "Oof!" she gasps out when someone karate chops her in the neck.

After falling over face first in the dirt, she turns to glare at the asshole who dared to attack her. "Hiei! What did I tell you about assaulting a Spirit world employee!" she scowls, rubbing her sore neck.

He glares back at her. "Hn. You should be thankful." he tells her bluntly.

She's about to ask him why the hell she should be when she watches him wipe a large insect of his hand. She pulls a face, grossed out.

"What is _that_ doing here?" she wonders, getting to her feet and eying the Demon world insect.

"How the hell should I know?" Hiei scoffs, turning away boredly, but not immediately darting away to his credit.

They eye their surroundings to see a few more of those things flying about. May watches as one lands on a person before crawling into his ear without his notice. A few seconds later, the guy collapses.

Hiei only watches in mild curiosity while May decides to rush over, checking if the guy is all right along with some bystanders.

"Hey mister! Are you okay!" another man in a business suit asks as he shakes the guy who starts to groan.

They look on as his skin grows discolored before he struggles to rise. The other man tries to help him up, only to get shoved aside.

The guy growls like a rabid dog before pouncing towards a random bystander.

The lady he hurtles himself towards screams before it dies down, seeing the guy slump to the ground when May shot her hand out towards a pressure point, knocking the guy out.

With a quick glance around, she spots more critters crawling into people's ears and realizes that they just landed themselves in a serious situation. Distancing herself from the crowd, she whips out her communicator to call Koenma and inform him.

"Hmm." Koenma mutters with a frown. "I'll go see what's up. Hiei, stick close by May until I have this figured out." he orders, making Hiei's brow twitch in annoyance while making it a point to glare at the Spirit world prince over the communicator.

"Meanwhile, you should go find Kurama as well. I have a feeling that we might need the two of them on this one." Koenma continues undeterred. "I'll keep you posted." he nods before shutting down the transmission.

"Bugger." May mutters to herself before turning around and walking off towards Meiyou high school. Knowing she'll have to pull Kurama out of class.

"Are you coming?" she questions carefully when she notices Hiei isn't following.

"Tsk. You can't tell me what to do woman." he growls before slowly shuffling after her. She swears he's being slow on purpose.

"I can actually." she reminds him, making his scowl even more prominent. She quickly looks away, afraid that if she looks him in the eye longer than needed, he might just lash out.

"I figured I would see you sooner than expected when I saw the first Demon world insect." Kurama states as he walks out of the school gates a while later. He glances at Hiei, a little surprised to see him standing behind May while brooding silently. "How bad is it?" he questions.

"Whoever gets possessed becomes very aggressive. They do not appear to be conscious of it though, like they are brainwashed. More and more people are becoming affected." May explains, subconsciously scratching at her neck.

She looks surprised when Kurama grasps her wrist, making her stop. "You have been bitten it seems." he frowns with worry.

"No, that was just Hiei using more force than necessary on the bug." she assures him, glaring at Hiei.

"Hn." he scoffs, meeting her glare.

"No, I'm sure that's a bite." Kurama says while letting her go, making them turn to him. "Are you feeling any different?" he asks, looking down at her carefully, trying to spot something amiss.

May shakes her head. "Not really. It just itches. Perhaps not having an active bloodstream helps." she shrugs.

"Perhaps. But-." he starts again before watching with a raised eyebrow as May presses herself to the wall surrounding his school.

"Sorry. Ghoul." she explains. "I don't really feel like roughhousing right now and for some reason, they appear to be more testy than usual."

Kurama nods. "That may be because you are radiating a slight amount of demonic energy. As I was trying to point out just now." he explains.

"What? Really?" she questions, eyes traveling to Hiei. "Did you sense that since I was bitten?" she wonders.

"Not immediately. It's become more prominent though." he mutters in explanation, making her puff her cheeks.

"Geez. Thanks for the heads up." she scowls.

"Perhaps you should make yourself scarce May, until the threat is over at least." Kurama suggests, feeling worried that the hunter will soon turn out to be the hunted.

"But all those innocent spirits-.." she starts in defense, before her communicator beeps.

Opening it, she faces Koenma, whose expression is looking grave. "May, listen carefully. I'm sending Kurama and Hiei to Demon city. This is the doing of the four Saint beasts. I received a challenge yesterday and it looks like they are carrying out a plan to force my hand." Koenma explains.

"What do they want?" May asks, getting a grip on the seriousness of the threat they face.

"They want to move into the Human realm." Koenma continues to explain. "I have Botan picking up Yusuke. Kurama, Hiei, You'll meet him there. There will be a portal to take you to the outskirts of Demon city close by." he tells them, knowing they are listening.

"Meanwhile, I want you May, to try and limit the damage there. Botan will be helping as well." Koenma orders.

Kurama opens his mouth to speak, but is silenced by a glare from May. "Sure thing. Over and out." she nods, closing the communicator before leading the way towards the portal.

"You are at an heightened risk here May. You should have asked Koenma if you could go back to Spirit world." Kurama tells her, not happy with her stubbornness.

"I can't leave Botan to defend the city by herself." she retorts, opening the door of a random storage owned by the city.

"How do you expect to defend the city if you'll be pre-occupied with ghouls chasing after you?" he counters, making her features harden.

"I'll just have to multi-task." she tells him, nodding towards the locker that holds the portal.

Kurama sighs, watching as Hiei quickly enters, having enough of the squabble already. "Just be careful." he says, his tone serious.

She smirks. "You're telling me? I'm not about to fight four powerful demons. Try not to be the self sacrificing idiot that I know you are." she says with a knowing smile, crossing her arms.

He returns a tight smile. "Likewise." he retorts, before leaving her there with a nod of goodbye.


	9. Chapter 9

May worked through the city, finding Botan running through alleyways like death is on her heels. "Where are you off to?" she asks, knocking out a guy that was chasing her around.

"May-senpai!" Botan squeaks in surprise before launching herself at the girl who has to dodge the baseball bat she carries.

"I was worried. I expected you to find me sooner." she complains, before blinking at her senior. "Are you okay? You sense a bit…off." she wonders, tilting her head in confusion.

"I'm fine." May brushes her off, not willing to worry her even more on how she fought tooth and nail to even get to her with all the ghouls hording around her, not to mention the humans that have become possessed.

She's not even sure how long she can stick with Botan before putting her in danger as well. She glances around wearily to check if there are any ghouls around.

Botan pouts, not pushing the matter, though not really taking May's word for it. "May-senpai, things are getting worse with the hour. I don't know how much longer we can hold on." she sighs.

May nods at the tired looking girl, knowing it will be tough to keep the pace going. "Have you heard anything from Yusuke?" she asks.

"Last time we spoke, they beat two of the four Saint beasts." Botan tells her with an exasperated sigh. Obviously they are not working fast enough for her liking.

"Are they okay though?" May asks.

Botan nods, smiling. "I think Kurama and Kuwabara were looking a bit roughed up, but they're all still alive. So that's good." she says, going back to her bubbly self.

May rolls her eyes. Of course Kurama had to go and get himself hurt. Wait… "What is Kuwabara doing there?" she questions with accusation lining her tone, making Botan shrink.

"He was very eager." Botan chuckles, awkwardly waving her hand, looking like a blue-haired Maneki neko.

May stares her down for a moment before having to look up when a small group of possessed humans come around the corner, heading straight for them. "Botan, let's go." she orders, taking the girl by the arm and making a run for it.

"Damn." May curses as they run themselves into a tight spot. She wished she had the tools to create a portal, but that too has been stripped from her by Koenma.

They are backed up against a wall as the possessed humans glare at them hungrily. May and Botan brace themselves for a fight before the group suddenly seems to lose their interest in the two of them. They turn around and run off.

"That was weird." Botan says quietly.

May nods in agreement. "I have a bad feeling about this." she says, looking forward to see Yusuke's school ahead of them.

The two girls share a look before running after their attackers, wanting to know what they are after.

They follow them towards the school grounds and Botan gasps as they see Keiko being chased by what looks to be one of the teachers.

"Of course." May states as everything clicks. "That girl just has the worst luck in the world." May realizes that Keiko is once again a target to get to Yusuke.

"Botan." she starts, turning to the other girl. "Get Keiko and hide. I'll distract them." she tells Botan, who looks reluctant. "Go now!" May growls, making Botan leap into action.

Botan manages to pull Keiko away into a bush and as the possessed humans look around for her, May steps out. "Looking for someone? If you want Keiko, you have will have to follow me!" she calls out.

"Give us Yukimura!" the teacher says in a growl as he steps forward.

"Well then, this way bonehead." May tells him before turning on her heel and making a run for it as they dart towards her.

She runs just hard enough to keep them from getting to her, but also not too fast to keep them interested. She reaches a spot where she believes it will be safe to leave them behind so she can return to Botan and Keiko.

Jumping over a wall, she jumps back as soon as her feet touch the ground, falling on her ass as she faces the back of a ghoul. Alerted, it turns to her before screeching as it attacks her.

"No!" she yells, freezing for a split second before struggling as she feels her energy drain from her. It hurts as her soul threatens to tear.

She thrust her hands out in an effort to stop it. She digs them into the creature and counters the attack as she tries to suck its energy from it before it finishes.

As it bursts in a flash of like, little embers falling down, she falls back, out of breath. Her nails dig into the dirt below her as she tries to ground herself. She was caught of guard and almost had to pay the consequence.

Sadly, she can't rest for long as the possessed humans seem to have found her. She scrambles to her feet before running off again.

It takes her some time, but she does finally manage to lose them. Trying to stay out of sight, she backtracks towards the school, but not before taking care of another ghoul that was closing in on her. It really is a pest for them to be drawn to her like this. She hopes the boys take care of the Saint beast soon and hopefully that will take care of her problem as well.

The school grounds are covered with possessed students and teachers alike, all keeping an eye out for Keiko. May manages to pass them, but not without difficulty.

She suddenly hears a scream and May runs through the hallways until she comes across a group that has poor Keiko cornered, their filthy hands tearing at her hair and clothes as Botan struggles to get a fire extinguisher to work.

"Here." May says, pulling the pin for her before Botan sprays the group with all she's got, giving Keiko the chance to get away.

One of the men among the group reaches for her, but May looks on impressed as the girl smacks her flat palm into the guys face, knocking him to the ground. "Formidable." she breathes as Botan cheers.

"Come on. This way!" May calls over, leading them away from the dead end.

"Who are you?" Keiko asks curiously as they run along, all the while dodging people as they go.

"I'm May. A friend of Botan and Yusuke's." she tells the girl who nods. "I already know who you are, so no need to introduce." she continues as Keiko opens her mouth. It earns her a look of confusion, but it doesn't last long as they are soon pre-occupied.

After reaching an empty hallway, they stop to take a breather. They're exhausted from running around and fighting those guys off.

"I wish this day was over already." May can't help but complain as she longs for her rickety bed at Yusuke's.

Botan stands up straight, wiping the sweat from her brow before freezing, a silent gasp lingering in the air.

"Botan?" Keiko questions worriedly as the girl looks outside. She follows her gaze but only spots a few humans. There are less than before as most are now probably wandering the school.

May looks as well and her eyes widen in terror. "Oh." she breathes quietly, stunned for a moment as she watches several ghouls approaching.

"May-senpai. What are we going to do?" Botan asks with a shiver, reaching to cling to her arm while Keiko looks confused.

May clenches her fists, knowing what has to be done. " _We_ will do nothing." she states. "I will take care of it." she tells Botan, reaching over and opening a window after shrugging Botan off of her.

"No! May-senpai!" Botan calls out horror-struck, pulling at the back of May's top in an attempt to stop her.

May grits her teeth before whipping around throwing Botan against the opposite wall, making Keiko gasp and run to her friend. Botan looks up at May with wide and frightened eyes.

May looks back at her in regret before willing herself to look away. "Keep Keiko safe." she orders before climbing out the window and leaving the two girls on their own. May knows she can't stay there. It will only put Botan in danger and in turn will leave Keiko vulnerable. She will have to face her terrors to protect them both.

She makes her way across the thin ledge below the windows before reaching a drainpipe and sliding down it. With lead in her shoes, she walks towards the front of the school where the ghouls are.

She feels her breath get caught in her throat as they turn to her and screech their ugly screech. Her skin rises with goosebumps as dread fills her to her core. There are at least five of them and more approaching. She never faces this many before and she is already tired. She will have to give it all she's got.

She waits unmoving as they surround her, biding their time and waiting for the right time to attack. As a drop of sweat rolls down May's brow, down her cheek to her chin, only to splash on the ground, they all rush at her faster than lightning.

It hurts. Pain fills her every fiber. They pull at her from all sides and she swears she hears something snap over their screeching.

May reaches inside her, into the farthest depths of her being for the power she desperately needs. A film of white covers her sight, blurring everything around her.

From the outside, she looks to be glowing in a radiant white light and it slithers outwards, towards the creatures harming her. They try to pull away from the light, but find themselves stuck.

Suddenly, it seems to explode outward like a grenade and the ghouls give one final screech as they are wiped out from existence.

May has no chance to celebrate her unlikely victory as she crashes to her knees before falling face first into the dust, her eyes void of…anything. There she stays unmoving until Botan finds her, crying out loudly in despair.

* * *

 **Exciting no? Please don't forget to let me know what you think. I learned before that my motivation to write on a story also depends a bit on the feedback I get. If I get none, I'll be too bummed out to write. Silly really, because I do enjoy writing. But please take a minute of your time please!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Let us see her! I'm telling you, if you won't, I'm gonna beat your ass!" Yusuke threatens Koenma as Kurama backs him up in silence, his eyes narrowed in spite. Botan stands sobbing in the corner.

It's been a few days since they beat the Saint beast. Yusuke only woke up today and one of the first things that came to his ears was that Koenma had stuffed May somewhere without giving an explanation where and why. All he knows is that she was attacked by a shit-load of ghouls.

"Will you shut up for a moment and let me talk!" Koenma shouts back, huffing in annoyance as Yusuke takes a reluctant step back.

Koenma lowers his voice as he starts to speak. "May got overwhelmed by the amount of ghouls, her very soul has been damaged. While I managed to fix that; she has absorbed so much of their evil energy that I fear she will never be the same again." he explains, making the tree others fear for their friend.

"It also made her quite powerful. My father is afraid she will turn against us and thus she is being subdued at the moment. There are a few options I'm looking into, but none are very forward." he finishes.

After a moment of letting the information sink in, Kurama is the first to step forward. "Is it possible that we can see her?" he questions, a frown of worry etched into his face.

Koenma hesitates before glancing around. Finally he nods. "We can go see her, but only briefly. Officially she is being held in seclusion. If King Enma finds out, we're in big trouble." he says worriedly before opening a portal.

"Quiet now." he tells them before leading the way. Yusuke is the first to rush in after him, followed by Kurama. Botan stifles her sobs before entering last, leaving the office empty.

They find themselves in a stark white hallway, leading up to several doors. It reminds Kurama a little bit too much of a hospital as the scent of bleach reaches his nose.

Koenma stops in front of a door that is covered in ofuda. Kurama can feel the energy radiate from them. A barrier has been set around the room, to keep May in he assumes. The whole thing unsettles him.

Koenma opens the door and lets them in. Their eyes settle on May, who lies silently on a bed. Her body is strapped to it with thick bands, more charms placed on her.

A black substance is crusted at the corners of her mouth and her skin is pale and sickly looking. There are large blue ridges under her eyes, giving her the appearance of someone who hasn't slept in days, even though her eyes are closed now.

Botan glances at Koenma for approval before quietly shuffling over towards May, reaching out a hand to feel her skin. It's cold. Immediately Botan has to bite her tongue to keep from crying again.

As the boys step closer, May starts to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She glances around in a daze.

"May?" Kurama asks quietly and carefully before her eyes focus on him. They are darker than before he notices.

"Kurama?" she whispers before attempting to get up, only to find herself bound. She frowns as she lets herself fall back in defeat. "I forgot about those." she mutters.

"Does she have to be tied up like that? This is May we're talking about." Yusuke hisses through his teeth at Koenma, upset at seeing her like that.

Koenma only glances at him, feeling just as upset, but there is little he can do for her right now, lest his father find out.

Suddenly May starts to wiggle, her breath quickening. A film of sweat starts to cover her face.

"What's wrong?" Botan asks her, putting a hand to May's forehead to feel her skin burning. Her eyes roll to the back of her head as throws her head to the side, throwing up an inky black substance. Botan barely manages to dodge.

"It's time to go." Koenma tells them, ushering them out.

Mays eyes turn to their retreating backs, her chin dripping in the unpleasant goo. "Don't go. Please don't go." she croaks, pulling at their heartstrings. But Koenma hurries them along as footsteps approach.

After having retreated back to his office, Yusuke drops to a crouch, holding his head in his hands. Kurama stares at the floor with wide eyes and clenched fists while Botan returns to crying.

After a moment of deadly silence, Yusuke jumps to his feet. "Koenma. Whatever options you've been thinking off… We can't let May down." he tells the Spirit world prince.

Koenma nods seriously. "I know Yusuke. I will let you know when I figure out a solution. Go home. There is nothing here you can do." he tells the boys.

The following days seem the pass by slowly. If they weren't send on a mission to rescue Yukina, the ice maiden and apparently, Hiei's sister, the time would've felt like it was crawling along.

One day, soon after the rescue, Yusuke was surprised to find Koenma, or rather an image of him appearing in his room, jolting the boy awake. "What are you doing here so early in the morning? I need my sleep you know." he complains.

"I thought you might want to hear some news concerning May. Or have you forgotten about her?" Koenma taunts, making Yusuke sit upright in a flash.

"Of course not! Tell me binky breath before I have to beat it out of you!" he growls, suddenly on high alert.

Koenma's brow twitches in annoyance but he decides to let it slide. He's in a hurry after all. "Yusuke. My father wants to let May pass on." he starts.

"You mean like, die? Permanently I mean?" Yusuke asks him shocked.

Koenma nods. "She is not improving in her condition and frankly, I don't think she will last much longer being cooped up like that. He thinks it's her only option before she's too far gone for light to reach her. She could end up in limbo with a dark soul like that." he explains.

Yusuke sits there, looking stunned for a moment.

"I however, found another option." Koenma reveals, making the boy's brown eyes widen.

"What is it?" he asks hurriedly, clenching his fists to keep from strangling the answer out of Koenma.

"Besides the option of permanent death… there is also life. She can go back to living as a human. Her powers will be stripped from her though. I struggled with the idea…" he confesses.

"Why? It sounds like a great idea." Yusuke comments.

Koenma sighs. "You must realize that May has lived a life somewhere in between both life and death for a very long time. I don't know what she prefers when her career is ended permanently. So… I'm making the choice for her, hoping it to be the right one." Koenma tells Yusuke, looking down worriedly.

"She will live, but I will need some help. Yusuke, May will require some life force to basically kick start hers." he explains.

"And you need some of mine." Yusuke says in realization.

"It could be yours, or anyone's, just as long as she gets some. I can bring her to you tonight. If we do this, we need to do this in this world. My father will not be happy when he finds her gone, but if she's alive again before he finds out, there will be nothing he can do but let her continue living." Koenma says.

Yusuke nods in determination. "Do it."

"Alright." Koenma nods. "Be ready Yusuke." he says before disappearing.

Yusuke gets to his feet, blinking at the empty space where Koenma stood. "I need to call Kurama." he mutters to himself, knowing the fox would want to be there. They've become rather attached after all. He could tell that the situation upset Kurama just as much as it did him, if not more.

Tonight, May will return to them.

…..

Yusuke's small bedroom is cramped with people. The whole gang is there except for Hiei and Keiko. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Botan sit around the room, waiting impatiently. Some of them twitch nervously. Yusuke even caught the usually calm Kurama bobbing his leg up and down before he caught himself.

Suddenly a portal appears above them, and thanks to Kurama's quick thinking, May didn't crash on the floor. He looks down at her body in his arms. She already looks better than last time they saw her. She looks like a porcelain doll in this state.

She appears lifeless, but he knows she is only waiting for that little boost. After that, she will open her eyes again. Her heart will be beating and her blood will flow through her still veins.

"So? Who's gonna do this?" Kuwabara asks just as the silence was starting to get stifling.

"May I?" Kurama asks right after, looking Yusuke in the eye.

Yusuke tilts his head in surprise, startled by the demon's eagerness for a moment before nodding. "She's all yours." he motions.

Kurama nods in appreciation before they clear the bed, letting him put her down there. Next, he holds out his hands, letting them hover above her still chest. They all hold their breath as Kurama focuses a good portion of his life's energy in his hands, an eerie green light fills the room.

Kurama is starting to feel a little dizzy, but he ignores the sensation before he thrusts the energy into May's body. A moment of stillness follows…

A sudden gasp of air notifies them of her return to the living world and immediately a color starts to rise to her cheeks. Her bright eyes burst open wide and Kurama quickly takes her arms as she struggles to rise.

"Take it easy May." he tells her in a soft voice so as not to startle her.

Her eyes dart around the room, looking confusedly at the faces around her. "What happened?"


	11. Chapter 11

**I've been writing a lot this week and I can tell you there is a lot May/Kurama time coming. And since I already have so much written down, I'm spoiling you guys with a extra chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I'll uh… I'll be heading home." Kuwabara tells them quietly as the silence thickens. They just explained to her what Koenma and they did and what… _state_ …she is in.

The boy flees the room. He doesn't know May well enough to be a part of the emotional aftermath that will surely follow.

"So what now?" May asks as she sits with her back leaning against the wall, clutching Yusuke's pillow to her chest.

"I'm suddenly alive again. So what do you expect me to do now?" she asks more explicitly, her voice sharp enough to make them flinch.

"Sorry." she whispers, curling further into herself. She's not exactly mad at them, she can't be. They only did what they thought was best for her. It's just… She's scared. They could understand that right?

"Well, I guess you start living. Just like other humans." Yusuke tells her, gazing at her from his spot on the floor on the opposite side of the room.

"What does that even mean?" she questions. "Do I just get up in the morning, go to school, go out with friends in my free time? What?" she wonders, sounding exasperated.

"I will never be like a normal human. I have a history of being something else. Am I just to forget about all that? Besides, the last time I was alive, the world was a very different place. I hardly know the ways of this one. You can't expect me to just blend in flawlessly." she tells him.

"Nobody is expecting you to May." Kurama assures her calmly from his place next to her. His voice still holds that gentle tone he had before. "You can lean on us until you are ready to brave this world on your own. You can take it one step at a time."

May releases a shuddering breath. Her head is pounding. Her body sags as she grows too tired to keep up her tense posture, making her knee bump against Kurama's as he has his knees propped up as well.

He reaches out, squeezing her knee gently before crawling off the bed, getting to his feet slowly. May just now notices the bags under his eyes. He looks extremely tired, though that might have something to do with him giving part of his life energy to her.

"Get some sleep May. We will talk again tomorrow and see where we'll go from there." he tells her, before nodding at Yusuke and Botan who has stayed uncharacteristically silent.

"Goodnight." he greets them before leaving the Urameshi household.

Botan gets to her feet also, timidly approaching May before reaching forward and giving a small hug. May returns the gesture before feeling her shoulder grow wet. She realizes that Botan is crying.

Sighing, May pushes Botan back gently; wiping the tears from the grim reapers face like one would for a little sister. "Now none of that Botan." she scolds gently, pulling up a small smile from somewhere for the girl's sake.

"Sorry." Botan sniffles. "I'm just so glad you're back." she confesses, making May nod in understanding.

"Get some sleep Botan." she tells the blue-eyed girl, who nods slowly in reply. She leaves quietly with a small wave.

That just leaves May and Yusuke. They both stare at the ground for a moment, gathering their thoughts before May gets up shakily to go to her own room.

"Careful there." Yusuke warns, jumping to his feet so he can help the still adjusting girl to her room.

"Yusuke…" she starts after he sets her down on her own bed.

"Yeah?" he breathes quietly.

"Is it okay if I stay here for a while longer?" May asks uncertainly, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"Sure you can." he assures her, looking back at her with a tiny smile, though his eyes look worried, for her. "Night May." he tells her before closing the door behind him quietly.

If it wasn't for her being tired as hell, May probably wouldn't be able to sleep with all these thoughts running through her head. All this anxiety building up in her body. But when she wakes up the next morning, she realizes that she has slept undisturbed.

As she gets out of bed, she feel for the first time as if she's in a new body altogether. It feels strangely familiar, but it is not quite the same. She feels warmer and somehow that makes her thoughts go to the blood pumping through her veins.

That's right. If she were cut now, she would bleed. Just like all the other humans.

"Huh?" she hums in confusion, seeing an envelope lying on the small desk in her room.

Opening it, she pulls out a note and a wad of paper money. She looks over the note. " _You will be given a monthly allowance for your past services. Look at it as your pension. ~Koenma_ "

"Way to rub it in Koenma, but thanks I guess." she mutters to herself. She realizes that she could use some stuff and make life on Atsuko easier by paying her rent.

She walks out of her bedroom, still in her jammies, to find both her and Yusuke eating breakfast. It's a rare sight to see them together and actually talking.

Yusuke's eyes widen at the wad of cash May has in her hands. "Where the freak did you get that?" he asks stunned.

"Uh… I got a job." she lies so as not to alert Atsuko. "Here. I hope that's enough for rent." she says, handing the woman part of it.

Atsuko isn't one to deny any money handed to her. "Look at you being all responsible kid." she says smiling goofily.

"Hey Atsuko? I was wondering if you could help me shopping today. I could use some extra clothes." May wonders, watching the woman perk up.

"Sure. We can go after I get home from work. Let's get you all prettied up for that boy! What's his name? Su-.. Shu… Ah whatever. The redhead." she waves off before getting to her feet and leaving for work, leaving two bewildered teens behind.

"Ha!" Yusuke blurts out, grinning stupidly. May glares at him in return.

"But really. Where'd you get the cash?" he asks curiously.

"Koenma left it in my room. Retirement." she shrugs, taking the seat Atsuko previously occupied and pouring herself some milk. "Don't say it." she warns Yusuke as he starts to open his mouth for another wisecrack of his.

"So how do you feel?" he finally decides to ask.

"Weird. Just weird." she breathes. "I don't know of another way to describe it." she admits, making Yusuke hum in understanding.

"Can I walk with you to school? Just… you know… to see what it's like?" she asks him timidly.

He just shrugs. "Be my guest."

After they are both ready, May tags along with Yusuke, glancing around a bit bewildered. She is looking at the world with different eyes. It unsettles her that she cannot see anything that she used to. She knows what's there, but not being able to see… It will surely take some getting used to.

"We're here May. I don't recommend stepping a foot in there yet, so you can stop following me around now." Yusuke tells her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, right. Guess I'll see you later." she nods, waving him goodbye.

"Hey, try not to do anything stupid okay?" he warns, making her nod. What could she even do?

She watches him go, seeing Keiko run up to him to greet him before her eyes meet hers. Keiko looks at her uncertain for a moment and May realizes that they didn't part in the best of way last time. She's surprised when Keiko gives her a small smile and wave.

May returns the wave with a dumbfounded expression before they turn around and step inside.

She herself then turns around, wondering what she should do now. In the end she ends up wandering through the city, slowly getting used to the world around her.

"You do know you no longer have a parole officer right?" May asks, not turning to look back as she munches on a tai-yaki. Her eyes are gazing ahead at the pond where the carp swim around lazily.

"Hn." is the answer she receives.

"Want one?" she offers, holding out a paper bag towards Hiei who stands behind the bench she is sitting on.

For a moment she thought he was going to decline before she can feel him rummage around in the bag. She drops it back on her lap after he fished out the cake.

"Looks like you still retained some spiritual awareness." he says in a muffled voice, clearly his mouth full of cake.

She finally looks at him as he steps around the bench, stopping beside her, though not sitting down.

"Did Koenma forgot to strip that from me?" she wonders.

Hiei doesn't look at her as he replies. "That, or you can thank Kurama for it."

He glances over at her. His eyes seeming to be searching for something as she stares back at him curiously. "It would be stupid to think that Kurama giving up life energy to you wouldn't have lasting effects. He's a fool." he scoffs, looking away again.

"What are you saying? That I will be swinging around vines soon?" she chuckles.

"Don't be stupid. You're just as weak as any human." he points out unimpressed.

"Oh stop it Hiei. You go and make me feel all fuzzy inside with your compliments." she says giggling in a fake manner that is making his eye twitch in annoyance.

"You're even more annoying as a human." he huffs.

"Yeah, and you're such a hoot yourself." she remarks, not impressed by his insults. "You should get freaking a trophy." she mutters, before looking towards the street as she hears a ruckus going on.

She huffs in annoyance as she realizes she can't see what's going on with the wall surrounding the park blocking her sight. "I miss not being able to see." she pouts to herself.

"Don't wine to me about your adjustment issues. If you want pity, you can go complain to Kurama." Hiei tells her.

"You can't tell me you didn't have any problems adjusting when Koenma decided to confine you to the human world. Please tell me if I'm wrong." she counters, raising a brow daringly.

"Thought so." she breathes as he stays quiet.

May gets to her feet, wiping the crumbs from her lap. She shoves the last cake into Hiei's hands before turning on her heel. "See you around sunshine." she calls over her shoulder before sauntering off towards home.

It was totally weird for Hiei to seek her out when he should be happy to finally be rid of her pestering. But whatever floats his boat. Maybe he is just bored, probably just as much as she is. She gets the feeling this is going to end up in another unlikely friendship. How does she do it?


	12. Chapter 12

"Look here May-chan~! This is totally cute." Atsuko coos as she holds up a hoody with bunny ears.

"You do realize that I'm a teenager right? My seventh birthday was a _very_ long time ago." May tells the woman, blinking at the thing with trepidation.

Atsuko's smile falters. "Right. I knew that." she defends herself, though May stares at her in disbelief. "I never shopped for a girl before though and my teen years were a-… not so long time ago." she quickly corrects herself after nearly practically calling herself old. "I'm not sure what is fashionable right now." she admits.

"Neither do I, but I'm pretty sure that's not it." May tells her after making sure that Atsuko hangs the hoody back on the rack.

"But wow!" Atsuko gushes, pulling the girl into her side. "I'm having fun shopping with you kid. It's like having a daughter. Yusuke would never ask me to go shopping with him." she grins happily before releasing the startled girl.

"How's this?" she asks, pulling a long sleeved shirt from a different rack. It has sparkles all over it.

"We'll get there." May chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. She's still flustered from what Atsuko just now told her.

"What are you looking at Shuichi?" asks a woman from the other side of the story, catching her son's attention.

"Oh, I thought I saw a friend." he replies, seeing his mother's eyes light up. It's pretty well known that there are not many that her son considers a friend. She cannot let the opportunity slip.

"Well let's go say 'hi'. It would be rude not to." she urges, to which he nods reluctantly, his eyes a bit wide at the uncomfortable position his mother is putting him into.

They work their way past the clothing racks before they are within speaking distance. Before he can open his mouth however, May turns around to look at him curiously. Did she sense him approaching?

"May." he greets with a smile.

"Hi there K-Shuichi. Fancy seeing you here." she greets with a nod, almost slipping up. She never really had to use his human name before.

Her eyes turn to the woman next to him, who bumps him gently with her elbow, asking to be introduces.

"Mother, this is May. And this is Atsuko-san, Yusuke's mother." he introduces, motioning to them both.

His mother smiles brightly. "Hello, I'm Shiori, Shuichi's mother. Nice to meet you."

May and Atsuko greet her in return, before Shiori looks at May closely. "Have we met before? You look so familiar." she muses, making her and Kurama stiffen simultaneously.

"No. I'm afraid not ma'am." May quickly replies, making Shiori look confused for a moment before waving it off with a chuckle at May's politeness. Kurama nearly sighs in relief.

Kurama scoots over towards May as his mother and Atsuko get to talking. May blinks blankly at how awkward Atsuko is being. Someone as polite and proper like Shiori isn't the type of person she is familiar with.

"I have to be honest when I say that I didn't expect to see you here, or anywhere for that matter." Kurama tells May as he keeps a careful watch on the two women so they won't overhear.

May shrugs. "Yeah well, huddling up inside isn't really my thing either."

"How are you coping?" he questions, glancing at her curiously.

"Just…coping. There is not much to say on the matter, as I neither feel like I'm super happy or feel like I'm falling apart. I'm still rather indecisive on what I think of the… change." she tells him.

"I admit I was happier with my previous status, but since that was no longer an option…" she shrugs.

Kurama nods in understanding. "I heard that the key to success lies in playing the hand you have been dealt, like it is the hand you wanted. To make your transition successful, the first step will be to accept that hand and not to fold your cards senselessly." he advises her.

"I suppose." she muses. "But what card will I play first? Where will I start if I'm going to go full out on this?" she wonders.

"Hm. I suppose half the work lies in being familiar with the world and its workings around you. Socialization is a big part of that. But to be honest, I don't feel like that it should be problem. I hardly have taken notice that you grew up in the twenties." he compliments, making her quirk her lips upwards.

"You may say that, but half the time Yusuke talks to me, I don't know what he's going on about. But now that I think about it that could just be because it's Yusuke." she muses, rising a finger to her cheek in thought.

Kurama chuckles. "Perhaps. Next are the practicalities of daily life; things that people take for granted but will be noticeable if you do not happen to share the common knowledge. I suggest you take great care in observing people's actions." he tells her, making her nod in interest as she absorbs his tips.

"Also, and I do not mean to push, but schooling would be helpful as well. To be amongst your peers will teach you a great deal, but I suggest we brush up on your studies before that. I'll be glad to help you along." he offers.

"Are you sure? You might be in over your head here. I mean…I don't exactly have much experience when it comes to studying. Not if that includes sowing, ikebana and the likes." she admits a bit shamefully.

Kurama only smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry. I have confidence in your capabilities." he tells her, making her blush a bit.

"Well, that makes one of us at least." she mutters a bit shyly. She really is not used to taking compliments.

Kurama notices his mom and Atsuko rounding up their conversation and quickly lays down a proposal. "How about I will meet you after my lessons tomorrow. I'll head over to Yusuke's to set you up so you have something to work on during the day and the next day, you can ask me the questions you have gathered on the subject and I will set you up with the next project when you're ready."

May thinks it over quickly before nodding. "Sounds like a plan. Thank you."

"No problem. I'm glad to help. Then I'll see you tomorrow." he tells her before saying his goodbyes to Atsuko and leaving with his mother after she got to say her goodbyes.

"Oh~. What's this? Making plans for tomorrow? Is it a date?" Atsuko snickers at May, making her face grow red.

"Why is that the first thing that pops into your mind?" May moans, slapping her forehead in embarrassment.

"Because I can. And you two look totally cute together. Now let's go. There is still a lot of shopping to do." Atsuko points out before marching away.

May watches her go with a sigh. She takes one final glance back in the direction Kurama went. She spots him in the distance, laughing awkwardly at something his mom just said.

It must be a mom thing to embarrass their kids. Well, as far she can account the role to Atsuko that is, in her case.

Kurama casts his glance back at her as if sensing he is being watched. He sends her a final smile and nod before disappearing out of sight.

* * *

 **Dammit. I've been sick for days. Please cheer me up with some more reviews. Pretty please?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Before I start, I just want to say thanks to those few that reviewed on this story so far. You fuel my lust for writing, so thank you.**

* * *

May has taken Kurama's advise to heart and is slowly settling into a new routine.

For the last few days, she has been walking Yusuke to school. On her way back she tours through the park, meeting with Hiei and sharing an early lunch with him before returning home.

There she cleans up a bit before studying, setting aside her questions for Kurama who joins her late in the afternoon. He rushes home just before dinner time and May gets started on dinner, sometimes alongside Atsuko while Yusuke is either lazing about, doing his homework for a change or is hanging out with Kuwabara or Keiko.

Today however, it's her turn to take her studying towards Kurama's. His mother insisted that she's come over to their place for a change, so Kurama told her, and May is fine with that if it keeps the woman happy. She is hogging a lot of her son's time after all.

She waits in Kurama's room at his desk as he went down to refill their drinks. She balances her pencil on her upper lip as she pouts her lips, while lazily running her fingers over the petals of one of Kurama's many plants that occupy his room. She finds this one particularly smooth to the touch.

"Careful." Kurama says as his hand wraps around hers to stop her caresses. "It's poisonous." he warns as he pulls on her hands gently to make her swivel in her chair to face him.

He eyes the plant carefully before looking slightly confused. "Though…it seems to be very content. Odd." he mutters to himself before turning his gaze of wonder to May.

"Oh sorry." he apologizes, realizing that he's still holding on to her hand. Strangely enough, he doesn't really sound all that apologetic.

May clears her throat awkwardly. "It's fine." she mutters hurriedly, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

They set back to work, carefully avoiding each other's eyes, though she swore she saw Kurama's lips quirk upward in amusement more than once.

They pass their time in relative silence, only speaking when May has questions that need to be answered.

"What's that?" May asks as Kurama stiffens beside her suddenly. A powerful force waves through the city, reaching as far as the suburbs where Kurama lives.

"I'm not certain. It feels familiar though." Kurama states, pushing his chair back and rising to his feat. He turns to May hurriedly. "I need you to pretend you are feeling ill." he urges.

May nods, understanding that he needs an excuse to leave the house right before dinner.

May pinches her cheeks to make them look more reddened. She also dips her fingers in her glass of water, expertly coating her face to make it appear like a film of perspiration before they both hurry out downstairs. May puts on a sickly looking face as they appear in the living room.

"Mother, I'll be taking May home. She's suddenly not feeling well." Kurama excuses them.

Shiori looks back at them worriedly. "Oh dear. How did that happen?" she asks, getting to her feet to look May over. "Please take care hun. I hope you'll feel better soon." she wishes, making May nod tiredly.

"Thank you Mrs Minamino. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon." May tells her, stepping outside after Kurama helped her put her coat on.

"Look after her Shuichi! Say hello to Atsuko-san for me!" Shiori calls after her son as he follows after May, wrapping an arm around her to pretend to be supporting her.

"Will do mother! See you later!" he calls back before they quickly make off.

"That was very convincing." he tells May with a small smile as soon as the door closes behind them, letting go of her so they can start running. He is looking quite worried still as he is able to focus on the matter before them.

"You should go home. This might get dangerous." he suggests to her, but receives a stubborn shake of the head.

"Whatever is going on, I can sense that Yusuke is there also. I need to know if he is okay at least." May rebukes, much to his displeasure.

"At least keep clear alright?" he urges.

"Don't worry. I know my limits." she tells him as a shiver runs down her spine when another surge of energy reaches them.

"This way." Kurama says, pulling May along through the streets before hurrying up to a rooftop where the find Hiei already waiting.

He doesn't acknowledge their presence as his eyes are focused on something else.

They face a building site, or what's left of it. Most has been demolished. Yusuke stands amidst all the rubble, body quacking. And behind him stands a large man, speaking to him. A man May yet has to learn the identity of.

Whoever he is though, he caries a massive amount of power. His energy was the one they sensed. His energy is so great, May feels sick to her stomach. She slowly moves one hand to her mouth in a weak attempt to withhold herself from regurgitating.

She watches the man as he finishes talking to Yusuke. She didn't hear a thing he said, but whatever it was, judging from the look on Yusuke's face, it couldn't have been good.

The man jumps from the ruins, making to leave before suddenly turning to their three figures on the roof as he passes them. May can feel her body physically freeze over.

"Judging from your expressions, I believe you heard the news." he say coolly. "I'm going to have you two demons participate in the Dark tournament as well. You will be members of Urameshi's team of course." he informs Hiei and Kurama.

"The horrific Dark tournament…?" Kurama breathes as the wind gently tosses his hair.

The man smirks. "Once associated with humans, you can never disassociate yourself from them." he states before walking off, tossing his coat over his bare upper body. "You may choose your fifth member yourself." he finishes before disappearing from their sight.

As if a spell was broken, May finds herself able to move again. "Who was that?" she gapes, turning her eyes back on Yusuke who has collapsed on his knees dejectedly.

"Toguro, the younger of two brothers. Yusuke and Kuwabara must have told you about him no doubt." Kurama explains rather quietly.

May nods, remembering. They fought him when saving that girl Yukina earlier. But… "I thought they killed him." she breathes questioningly. The two demons don't comment on that.

"How are our chances?" Kurama asks Hiei, who shrugs as he tries to look unfazed, but May can tell from his stiff posture that he is indeed bothered.

"We'll see." he answers noncommittally before turning on his heel, making his cloak whip around in the wind before he departs.

May watches as Kuwabara appears, timidly approaching Yusuke. She then realizes that these boy's lives are very much on stake, maybe even more than ever. She knows about the Dark tournament. Getting out alive is only reserved for a few lucky contestants.

She releases a shaky breath at the prospect of losing these four. They have somehow become the corner stones of her being. Take them away and she will collapse. She has unknowingly built her foundation on them and now someone is threatening to take that away.

She suddenly wishes that she wasn't so weak. She would help them if she could, but she knows she can never grow powerful enough, if powerful at all in the short amount of time they have left. She's only human after all. All she has going for her now is her awareness. That's not going to help anybody.

May turns her worried gaze to meet Kurama's intense green one. "I suppose, there is no possibility to refuse? she tries.

He shakes his head in dismay. "Refusal is the same as dying." he states bluntly, his jaw set in anger. "Not just for us, but for all we care about as well." he finishes.

May swallows hard before quickly looking away, her eyes slightly widened in shock at his intensity.

"I'll go get Yusuke. Time to go home." she mutters before slowly making her way from the rooftop and leaving Kurama to brood.

* * *

 **I was a bit unsure whether to address Shiori as Mrs of Ms. I'm not sure where she got her last name from. Is it her maiden name that she passed onto Shuichi or is it the last name of her late husband?**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this part. In the coming parts there will be development between Kurama and May. So sit tight and enjoy the ride.**


	14. Chapter 14

Yusuke has left. He left to return to Genkai's, where he has trained before, seeking for more power so he can compete against Toguro. May could see that Atsuko tried not to worry, outwardly looking unconcerned, but she knew better by now.

Keiko too was distressed after seeing Yusuke had not appeared to attend classes. She even approached May to ask her about it. She lives with the boy, so she should know. But May could only brush her off. She honestly didn't know what to tell the girl. This didn't improve their already strained relationship of course.

May herself was restless as well. She couldn't stand the wait, so when Kurama offered her to accompany him and Kuwabara for a bit, as they planned to train, she jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house.

One crisp morning, a week after the 'invitation', she found herself waiting for the two boys at the train station. They would camp out in the mountains for the week. They would have that much time before having to return home for a bit and making up another excuse to leave again so they can train in peace. May had it easy, she figured. She only had Atsuko to account to and that wasn't all that hard.

"Hello May-chan~!" May hears a familiar voice call out to her. She rolls her eyes, wondering why Kuwabara insists on calling her that. Yusuke told her to take it as a compliment.

She turns to face him and Kurama as they walk up to her, all packed.

"Are you all set May?" Kurama asks as they reach her.

She nods. "Yeah. Thanks for inviting me to come. Honestly, I don't know how long I'll be able to look at Atsuko and Keiko anymore before caving in. It's horrible to hide everything from them." she admits, frowning.

Kurama nods in understanding. If anyone knows what it's like, it would be him.

They get their tickets before stepping onto the train for their ride towards the mountains. It's a whole new experience for May. The last time she went on a train ride, a locomotive was still pulling it and the ride was loud and shaky.

After reaching their station, they set to trekking into the wilderness, leaving the civilized world behind them.

"This is a good place. Let's set up camp here." Kurama tells them after a few hours of walking. They are halfway up a mountain now and have reached a clearing among the trees that is covered in soft moss and surrounded by a mixture of pines and other trees.

May and Kuwabara release a sigh of relief. Both had some trouble during their walk, May's knees are green from the times she slipped on the moist grasses and moss. Kurama merely smiles at them in amusement.

"Need help setting up your tent?" Kuwabara offers May kindly as Kurama makes to set a fire.

"No need." May smiles, pulling her tent from the round sack holding it. As she whips it out, it unfolds itself automatically into a small one-person dome tent. "Ta-da~!"

She flashes Kuwabara a peace sign, grinning as he groans at the sight of own tent. It's an old-fashioned one with all the poles and lines in there. "Don't worry. I'll help you out." she tells him after putting down her tent in a spot to her liking.

"You set up tents before?" Kuwabara wonders.

"Not really." she admits with a shrug. "But some logic thinking will get us a long way I'm sure."

Soon, all their tents are set and they have a fire going strong. Kurama urges Kuwabara to follow him to another clearing he found while searching for wood, telling him that they should start training immediately. They can't afford to waste time after all.

"Will you be staying here May?" Kurama wonders, as he and Kuwabara are about to set off.

She nods. "Yeah, maybe I'll take a look around in a bit." she tells him.

"Alright. Have fun." he tells her, his eyebrows quirking upwards teasingly as he throws her a smile, which she returns.

He looked like such a geek when he does that. Sometimes she can't imagine him being centuries old; that is until he opens his mouth that is and a whole encyclopedia just rolls off his tongue. Scratch that. That just makes him more of a geek, just an ancient, demonic one.

May gives Kuwabara the thumbs up, knowing he will need all the support he can get. She's sure that Kurama will drill him hard. Lives are on the line after all and Kurama takes that very seriously. That's why she thought it best to leave them to do their thing, not wanting to get in their way.

After making sure the fire will hold for a while, she decides to explore the area for herself. She's never been camping before, nor has she spend a lot of time in the woods. The smell of it makes her feel invigorated.

"Trees, where have you been all my life?" she jokes to herself before throwing off her shoes and setting off bare footed, liking how the moss cushions her feet.

On her trek, she encounters a natural hot spring and notes it down for future reference. She also comes across some of the local wildlife. A tanuki looks at her oddly as she darts past.

It's odd and perhaps a tad bit cliché, but this is actually the first time she feels like she can just enjoy that she is still alive and not have the feeling like it's something she has to work herself through each day.

It's been rather hard for her since being brought back to life, her emotions constantly sparring. Some days she was swayed more towards making the best out of it and at some times, she just wants everything to be back to how it was before.

What really gets to her is her constant paranoia. She's been so used to having spiritual beings all around her, but now she cannot perceive them like she used to. The thought of perhaps a ghoul passing by her without her notice… It just makes her skin crawl.

When she finds her way back to camp, the boys are still gone. She can sense their energies though, so they must still be training hard.

May pulls picks up the little radio Kuwabara brought and turns it on, softly letting it play some music as she gathers everything to start dinner. Hopefully she can fix them up something over the open fire.

…..

The wind howls trough the pines and the fire crackles. Night has fallen and May gazes at the pine cones that pop in the fire, their seeds jumping out of their sockets.

Her thoughts are dwelling again. It seems to go that way every time she has too much time on her hands and nothing to keep her occupied.

"What are you thinking about?" Kurama interrupts her thoughts as he sits down next to her. Apparently he wasn't asleep like she thought. Kuwabara was out like a light after stuffing his face with dinner.

May shrugs slightly, sitting upright so she can look at him better. "Just about the time before I got killed…and…. how petty I was back then." she sighs.

"How so?" he wonders, sounding a bit disbelieving.

She thinks over her words before answering. "I suppose I was a typical moody teenager back then. Never quite happy with my life and rebellious towards my parents. It's what got me killed in the first place. If I didn't run away in an angry fit, I wouldn't have gotten caught in the fire. When I realized of how childish I was being, I was already dead." she sighs.

"May I ask why you ran?" Kurama questions curiously. He can't help but jump at the opportunity to search for more pieces of the puzzle that make out May.

May purses her lips in distaste. "They found me a suitor. I knew him, he was kind enough, but a bit of a stiff. They thought he would take care of me. We weren't very fortunate money wise, but he had enough. It would've helped my parent if I married him. It's just… I was too wild back then and a real sap for romance. I didn't feel anything for the guy and wanted to fall in love like my sister had the opportunity to do. My parent didn't want to wait that long though." she explains, growing a bit embarrassed.

"Now that I think back on it, my problems were very petty compared to the ones that Yusuke faces for example, or you for that matter. I would be stuck with a bore perhaps, but I would have lived comfortably." she finishes.

Kurama nods silently, his nimble fingers treading loops from the few dry grasses at their feet.

"Do you regret it?" he finally asks.

"What?" May questions, snapping from her momentary trance as she watched his fingers weave in and out.

"Not getting married? And so, everything that sprung from your decision to run away?" he specifies, his eyes rising to meet her. The way he looks at her now, she can just imagine a wide-eyed, curiosity filled fox looking up at her with a tail swishing back and forth in eagerness.

May is pretty used to him asking for more information by now. At first she thought it was annoying, but the longer she got to know him, the easier it was for him to pick her brain without her getting upset about it. It's actually satisfying to talk to him because she knows whatever she tells him, he won't judge. I guess that's what makes him such a good friend.

"I regret hurting my parents…" she admits with a sting in her heart. "And dying is not something I recommend. But, my existence sure became a lot more interesting. I don't feel like I can regret that. I wouldn't want to miss it for the world." she tells him earnestly, making a smile stretch out on his lips.

"I'm glad." he says. "And allow me to be selfish by saying that I'm also glad that you made the decisions you made. Else I wouldn't have met you." he admits, making May look away with a shy smile and a blush.

"Shucks Kurama." she waves him off jokingly. "I bet you say that to all the girls." she teases, making him laugh, though not too loud so he won't wake up Kuwabara.

"No. I do believe you're quite unique in that respect. I seem to tell you a lot of things I wouldn't say to any other girl." he tells her as a matter of factually.

"Oh~. So I'm rather special." she smiles cheekily up at him, looking at him through her eyelashes.

"I would say so." he nods, returning the smile as he tilt his head at her slightly.

May blinks as she suddenly realizes what their doing. They're flirting. What the heck?! She can feel her cheeks start to redden even more when Kurama smiles down at her softly, amusement twinkling in his eyes. He knows exactly what he's doing.

She clears her throat awkwardly, unsure of how to handle the situation from here. "I- uh. I think I'll go to bed now." she excuses and she is sure his amusement has grown when his lips pull up even higher, watching her squirm is discomfort. A sadist, that's what he is!

"Of course. It's rather late." he agrees, getting to his feet also. He's standing very close to her, she can feel his body heat over the heat of the fire. Her heart starts to beat uncomfortably.

"Goodnight May." he tells her, his breath tickling her cheek.


	15. Chapter 15

"Kuwabara, your speed is lacking." Kurama observes pointedly as he runs over everything he came across the day before. "Perhaps…" he starts, trying to think of a way to help the tall human. "Perhaps we can ask May to help you." he states, turning his eyes towards the girl.

"What? Me?" she wonders in surprise, making Kurama nod.

"You're quick on your feet." he tells her.

"How can you even tell? You hardly saw me fight." she points out. The only time he saw was in the hospital.

Kurama smirks knowingly. "I've seen enough." he says, making May sigh. "Please May. It will be of great help. I do not mean to sound insensitive, but I need some time to train on my own today." he urges her.

May purses her lips before giving in, ignoring the victorious smile on the red head's face. "Oh alright." she huffs.

"A-are you sure? I-I don't usually fight girls you know. It's kinda against my code." Kuwabara starts hesitantly.

Kurama pats his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure May will be fine. Remember, your speed can be greatly increased if you learn to anticipate your opponent moves." he tells Kuwabara before getting to his feet after setting his now empty plate aside.

"I will probably return late, do not wait up for me." Kurama tells them before leaving May and Kuwabara at the camp by themselves.

May sighs before looking back at Kuwabara. "Don't look so scared." she scolds lightly. "Just pretend I'm Yusuke for today." she suggest, making him flinch.

"No way! Ugh. No I imagined him with girly parts on him. Thanks for that!" Kuwabara scowls, making May snicker.

"Okay, forget about that. Come on Kuwabara. Let's get this over with." May urges, setting off towards the clearing where he and Kurama have been training for the last two days.

They try several ways to increase Kuwabara's speed and to make him think ahead without so much as to have to actually fight. This settles Kuwabara's worries a bit and they spend hours to work on his skills.

May darts forward, her hand reaching out toward Kuwabara's outer leg to tap it, but he dodges. May smiles at that, standing up straight again. "You're improving already. I haven't been able to tap you for the last five tries in a row." she informs him, making him grin proudly.

"Thanks May. You're way of raining is really creative. It's more fun than being beat into the ground." Kuwabara compliments, breathing hard.

"Let's call it a day. I'm getting pretty tired here." she suggest, making Kuwabara nod.

After returning to camp, they cook dinner together and eat. They don't suppose Kurama will return anytime soon yet, so they make just enough for the two of them.

"How do you think Yusuke is doing?" Kuwabara asks suddenly, making May's mind rush to the other boy as well.

"He's fine, I'm sure. Probably not very happy with Genkai though." she tells him. "I was thinking to make a quick visit next week, if Genkai will allow me."

Kuwabara nods, deep in thought it seems as he stares at the ground with a look of focus and determination. He has his moments when he doesn't goof off and appears very mature.

"I'm going to take a bath." May announces, grabbing her supplies.

"Here, take this lantern. It get dark quickly in the forest." Kuwabara offer, tossing her a flashlight.

"Thanks." May smiles at his consideration before stalking off to the hot spring she found before.

She sighs as she lets herself sink into the shallow pool. It's a bit on the hot side, but it's just what she needs. Her muscles had a workout too as she helped Kuwabara out.

She soaks for a bit, resting her head back on the soil behind her and stares at the sky, feeling perfectly at peace. One wouldn't think a storm is brewing, filled with death and despair as she lies there with only the sound of birds chirping to keep her company.

The song of the birds is eventually replaced with the sound of cicadas, making May end her peaceful bath. She shivers at the cold air, quickly drying off and putting on her nightclothes. She hurries back to camp so she can dive into her tent and snuggle in her sleeping bag.

"Oh, pretty." she breathes as she spot a small group of irises at the base of a tree. She picks one. Perhaps she can dry it in her book. She brought along a novel with her: Musashi. It's thick enough to keep her occupied for a while. She likes the story very much.

Kuwabara is already sound asleep when she reaches camp, his snores come from within his tent. Kurama has still not returned, but May doesn't worry. He can handle himself.

May stokes up the fire for one last time before huddling in her tent and picking up her book. She will read a bit more before going to sleep.

Kurama returned around midnight, stepping into their camp silently. The fire was still burning, but diminishing slowly. He looked around to find none of his companions awake. Kuwabara's tent was shut tight; May's however was still open.

Kurama stepped closer to see her sleeping with her head by the entrance, a book was held loosely in her right hand, opened about midway. She must have been reading by the light of the fire.

Her left hand lays beside the back of her head, clutching an iris, or rather, the iris clutching onto her. Kurama crouches down by May to see that the flower has grown fresh roots and are traveling down May's wrist, wrapping up her hand in white threads.

Kurama reaches out quickly, taking hold of the flower's stem and forces it to retreat its mischievous roots before taking it from May's hand carefully. He eyes the flower for a moment before glancing at May.

He had his suspicions that he somehow projected some of his powers onto the girl when resurrecting her with his energy, but this certainly confirms it. To what extend will they come to reach, he wonders.

He will certainly need to discuss this with her at some point. With plants feeding off of her energy without her knowledge, it could prove to be dangerous. But until the time comes when she will be able to control it, he will have to keep an extra eye out for her.

He cannot bring himself to mind, but he does however regret to having caused her trouble, again. He unknowingly seems to inconvenience her more then he would care for.

With a silent sigh passing past his lips, he tucks away a stray lock of hair from May's face, noting to himself how soft it is, before rising as taking the flower with him. He plants it in the soil near her tent so it will still be close to her to bask in her energy. It looks satisfied with the move.

Kurama then turns in, leaving the flap of his tent open by a smidge, just enough to still be able to see the top of May's head across the clearing. Folding his hands behind his head, he wait until his eyes start to droop and his mind shuts down for the night.

* * *

 **Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

"Pft. Blegh. What the….?" May sputters as she wakes in the early morning, sitting up quickly to glare at whatever woke her. She stares the chipmunk that runs around her tent for two more rounds before basically charging at her, using her head as a spring board to launch itself into freedom.

She stares after in confusedly before running a hand over her face, noticing a hair or two sticking at the corner of her mouth. What the heck happened? What did it do?

She grimaces as she plucks the critters' hairs from her mouth. "Gross. It was in my mouth." she gags, turning a glare at Kurama as she spots him leaning out of his tent with his upper body, trying to hold in a laugh.

"This is the last time I forget to leave my tent open." she mutters to herself.

"I don't believe it's your tent you should be worried about." Kurama points out, grinning like a fool as he teases her.

"Shut up." she pouts, making his shoulders shake in laughter.

"Yuck." she huffs as she quickly searches for her toothbrush, determined to cleanse herself of whatever that thing had its filthy paws in.

Kurama soon comes out of hit tent after having gotten dressed to find May still scrubbing her mouth clean, hard. Toothpaste is foaming at the corners of her mouth.

"I'm sure it wasn't that filthy, so please calm down before you hurt yourself." he tells her, looking amused as she paces around in her nightclothes. He's sure she stole the band shirt from Yusuke, but the long cotton Hello Kitty pants leave him clueless. It's an odd combination.

She contemplates his words as she stares at her toothbrush, wondering if she should put it away or give her teeth and tongue one last scrubbing.

"Fine." she huffs through her full mouth, stalking off to rinse. When she returns, she stumbles, catching Kurama's attention as he started to boil water for tea.

"Huh? How did that get there?" May ask in wonder, having narrowly avoided stepping on the iris he planted there the night before.

"I'm sorry, I had to take it from you last night." Kurama explains, making her look back at him with confusion. "It wasn't treating you very nicely." he adds, making her confusion grow. He looks back at her, seeming to try and read her, processing and anticipating her reaction for the things that will soon be brought to light.

"Not treating me nicely?" she questions.

Kurama rises to his feet, stepping up to her and looking down at the proud flower by their feet. "Indeed. It was feeding on your energy a little too eagerly." he tells her, making her frown at the purple leaved flower.

"Come again? Why would it do that?" she asks him, sounding skeptic.

Kurama turns to her, his expression unreadable. "My life's energy… It seems you have picked up some traits off of me." he explains, watching her look at him blankly before her eyes widen.

"Spiritual awareness." she states, rising a brow. "I already figured." she tells him, resting her hand in her sides.

"That's not quite what I was getting at." Kurama says calmly, or so he appears.

"Then please enlighten me." May urges, sounding a bit exasperated, but he can see a twinge of discomfort in her eyes, perhaps even a hint of fear.

He runs his hand through his hair before reaching for May's hand swiftly, clasping their hands together, fingers curled around each other. May would have blushed if it wasn't for her being able to feel something in between their hands that started to move.

"What are you doing?" she wonders, her eyes big as she stares as their intertwined hands in shock.

" _I'm_ not doing anything." Kurama informs her, watching a small green sprout slip past their hands, reaching up towards the sunlight before quickly developing a but and starting to bloom into a simple but pretty orange rose. They are silently staring at it for a moment, ignoring the prickling of the thorns.

"You're not being funny." May suddenly speaks up, her voice unsure, her hand twitching nervously.

"I'm not trying to be." Kurama counters, his eyes softening. "I'm sorry May."

She takes a hard intake of breath through her nose and he can feel her clenching on his hand more tightly, the thorns on the rose nearly breaking his skin, but he holds on for her.

"I should have taken Hiei a bit more seriously when he mentioned…this." May mumbles.

"I'm sorry." Kurama repeats. "I wasn't…" Kurama starts, only to be interrupted.

"I know, I know. Stop saying you're sorry. It… it is what it is." May tells him, sounding a bit defeated, finally relenting on her grip. Kurama lets her take her hand back, the rose now laying in his irritated fingers, slowly reverting back to a seed.

"I was going to work with Kuwabara on the use of his spirit energy today… perhaps it's best if you joined." Kurama suggests after another moment of silence.

May's brow furrow and she worries her lip with her teeth for a moment. "What if Koenma finds out? Or worse, King Enma?" she wonders.

"They are less likely to find out if you learn to control it." he points out. May notices he still carries that guilty look in his eyes. She wishes he would cut it out with guilt tripping himself, but she learned by now that Kurama is a master at self blame. He just tucks it away very well when not among friends.

May sighs before finally nodding. "I know I've been having trouble laying off on anything concerning Spirit world and all of that, but this wasn't quite what I had in mind when I wished to stay connected somehow." she half joked, to which Kurama only cracks a bitter smile.

"Oh well." she smiles in attempt to lighten the mood. "Do your worst Kurama." she tells him.

"It's the least I can do." he nods, smiling more genuine now.

"What are you two being so loud for this early?" Kuwabara complains suddenly, making them whip their heads at him.

Kurama chuckles, all signs of his guilt disappearing. "Didn't you hear?" he questions, making Kuwabara stare at him questioningly. "May was mauled by a chipmunk." he reveals, making her sigh in relief and glare at him at the same time. She almost thought he would tell Kuwabara about her newfound skills.

"Right. Whatever." Kuwabara grumbles. He's not much of a morning person. "I'll be right out." he yawns, slipping back in his tent.

May suddenly punches Kurama in the arm, making him jump as she caught him off guard. He pouts at her as he rubs his arm.

"Don't give me that." she warns him, stalking back to her tent to get changed as well.

"So fierce." he comments.

"You haven't seen half of it." she shoots back at him.

Kuwabara was a bit surprised when May joins them, but does not oppose. May sticks to the basics that day, careful in not letting slip the true reason why she is there.

* * *

 **I noticed that the story is slowly growing more popular, but I still don't receive a lot of feedback. Please let me know what you think of the developments!**


	17. Chapter 17

"Hn. So I was right." a voice behind May speaks up, making her jump.

"Good God Hiei! Can you not do that?!" she scowls at him as he comes into step with her.

"It's not my fault you are not on guard." he retorts before continuing. "I can sense you using your energy."

May frowns for a moment, glancing down at the poppy resting in the breast pocket of her blouse. Kurama gave it to her to practice on. She's to keep it alive with her energy, but not feed it too much so it will start leading a life of its own. She's been carrying it around for two days now, since they returned from the mountains. The fragile little flower has been looking damn happy ever since.

The boys are at school while she tries to pass the time once again; this being a new project to work on and one of high priority.

"Just don't snitch to Koenma when you see him." May mutters, keeping up her pace. To where? Who knows?

"Hn. I wouldn't converse with the fool if I had a choice." Hiei huffs in reply, leaving it at that.

May nods. "So, lunch?" she offers, redirecting herself towards a shop. She's not surprised to find Hiei following her.

"As long as you pay." is all he says.

A few days later, May finds herself on her way to Genkai's temple. She just has to check on Yusuke for a bit and she guesses the best way to go at it, is to show up unannounced. That way Genkai will not be able to say no before hand.

May resists the urge to curse as she reaches the way too long stairs leading to the temple. She used to be able to just teleport herself there. Now she has to rely on her skinny human legs and complete lack of stamina to get up there.

Pumping herself up for the undoubtedly long climb she gets started, knowing she will not get anywhere if she just keeps standing there.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't miss Death herself. Or whatever you are now." Genkai says unimpressed as May collapses at her feet at the top of the stairs. May isn't surprised to find the old woman waiting there for her. She just hopes she won't be kicked down the damn stairs.

"Shut…up." May gasps, struggling to catch her breath, not in the mood.

Genkai eyes her still. "It looks like things went south with you quickly huh?" she pushes, turning on her heel before marching to the temple.

May pushes herself to her feet, forcing herself to follow after Genkai, knowing she will lead her to Yusuke.

"Things have changed…obviously. Now will you stop rubbing it in my face?" May huffs, frowning.

"Maybe, if I feel like it." Genkai mutters, smirking to herself in a satisfied manner. She warned May countless of times not to overdo it. Of course she would not listen.

May follows Genkai into the temple and to the back where there are rooms equipped for training. She can sense Yusuke's energy before she sees him and she already can tell the difference, even though it hasn't been that long. She can't help but wonder what kind of strength he will possess after the two full months of training are over.

Stepping into the room he's in, she can see him trying his hardest to balance on his finger on a sharp point, with only his spirit energy holding him up. His legs already sway precariously, but when he notices May watching him, his distraction gets the best of him. May watches him tumble down in a heap, causing Genkai to sigh.

"Ten minutes." she tells the both of them before leaving them to themselves.

"May… What are you doing here?" Yusuke blinks in wonder, gathering his breath.

May smiles. "Just here to check up on you, so I can tell the others you're okay and to satisfy my own curiosity for a bit." she admits with a shrug. "People are haunting me about your whereabouts." she explains.

"I figured as much." Yusuke sighs, grabbing a towel he had put aside and wiping the sweat off of his face.

"It's good to see you doing well. You have already improved, I can tell." she says to him, making him smirk in satisfaction.

"Yeah? And the others?" he questions as he sits himself down, motioning her to join him. She does so.

"Kuwabara and Kurama are training hard. I suppose Hiei is as well, but I haven't seen much of him lately." she tells him.

"And mom and Keiko?" he asks next, making her smile softly again in assurance.

"They are worried, but doing okay." she answers.

"What about you?" he then asks, catching her off guard.

"What about me?" she asks in return, catching his intend gaze.

"There's something different about you." he states, trying to see into her soul with his big brown eyes.

May looks down for a moment, wondering if she should tell him.

"Is it bad?" he wonders trying to look at her face, frowning.

May shrugs. "It's…" she starts, picking her nails. "It could be of some consequence." she tells him vaguely, annoying Yusuke.

"Well spit it out!" he urges. "You're making me nervous. Besides, we're practically family now." he continues, his voice softening.

May can't help but purse her lips as she attempts to hide her amusement and how happy that actually makes her feel. "Fine." she states, sighing. "It has to do with Kuram-" she start to explain before Yusuke interrupts her.

"What about Kurama?! Did he do something to you, because I will kick that pretty boy's ass if I got to." he threatens, startling May.

"Wha-?! No! Well, maybe…uh. Just let me explain for a minute." she sighs. "What I was trying to tell you, is that it has to do with his life energy what he gave me to resurrect me. I've been experiencing some side-effects." she tells him, making him blink curiously.

"Just take a look." she urges, taking the poppy she still is carrying around out of the bun in her hair. She focuses on it and Yusuke gapes as it opens and closes at her will. "I gained some of his powers." she explains.

"That is actually pretty cool." he notes after a moment.

"Probably not as much if a certain ruler of Spirit world finds out about it." May counters.

"Huh? Binky breath wouldn't dare to do anything against you." Yusuke tells her.

"He might not, but his father would. I was supposed to be stripped of all powers remember? What will happen if he finds out?" she tells Yusuke worriedly.

Yusuke thinks it over, but he can't provide her with an answer. "Well, whatever happens; we've got your back." he promises, making her smile faintly.

"Thanks Yusuke." she says before they fall into a long silence.

"About that fifth member…" Yusuke starts suddenly, just when May thought he might not speak anymore. "It's been covered apparently." he informs May.

"By whom?" she wonders curiously.

Yusuke shrugs. "Beats me. I'm just passing the message the old hag told me."

May tilts her head curiously before said hag walks into the room, pointing at May. "You. Out." she motions to the door.

May groans, before turning to Yusuke as they both get to their feet. "Gotta go. Your warden is kicking me out." she jokes, making him grin. "Take care Yusuke."

"You too." he nods, wiping his thumb under his nose. A thing he does, she notices, whenever he's really glad or feeling awkward, but only around those he cares for. May is glad to belong to that select group.

"Bye Yusuke."


	18. Chapter 18

May wakes up to darkness around her. The only thing illuminating the inside of her tent are the flashes of lightning. The rain clatters onto the tarp loudly. The weather has taken a turn for the worst, but May takes comfort in the noise. With a small smile, she turns to he side, ready to snuggle deeper in her sleeping bag. That is when a drop of water lands on her bare foot, shocking her further awake.

Carefully, she runs her toes over the bottom of her tent, only to pull in back quickly when she finds a puddle.

"Oh no." she gasps, quickly sitting upright and searching around for her lantern that she hung up above her head. She flicks it on and sees her tent leaking, a steady dripping creating a growing puddle on the floor.

She quickly yanks her sleeping bag out of the way, the bottom right corner already soaking up the moist. "Damnit!" she curses. How will she able to sleep like this? If the rain won't let up soon, all her stuff will be soaked by morning.

She zips open her tent, looking around hastily. Kurama is still awake; his tent's flap is still open as he sits cross-legged at the entrance, reading a book. He looks up questioningly at the sound of her opening her tent.

"I'm drowning here!" she calls over the clatter of the rain.

She watches him throw his book aside, before grabbing his jacket. He covers his head with it before rushing out into the rain towards her.

"Grab your things. Here, I'll take your sleeping bag." he offers, holding out one hand. May throws it at him and he folds it, covering it with his body as best as he can.

May stuffs her other things in her bag before moving to step out into the rain. "Here." Kurama says, giving her his coat, draping it over her frame. It's warm. "Come on." he urges then, grabbing her wrist and pulling her over to his tent.

They quickly crawl inside, dumping her stuff in the corner. His tent is a bit bigger that May's and has some unused space. May quickly notes it's completely dry. Leave it to Kurama to come up there with some trustworthy equipment.

After taking a moment to pout at her own tent, she turns to Kurama, who is standing next to her, hunched over so he can stand without hitting his head. May can barely stand upright herself, but she can manage.

She hands him back his coat, smiling. "Thanks for the rescue, but you got yourself all wet." she say, noting his now dripping hair. It appears blood red when it's wet.

He just shrugs. "It's fine." he tells her, returning the smile. "This rain will continue for a while longer. You can stay here tonight if you like. We can try and salvage your tent in the morning or call Kuwabara to ask if he can take a spare one with him before he sets off this way tomorrow." he offers.

"Uh, sure. Thanks." May says hesitantly. She knows she has little choice, but the situation is a bit embarrassing.

Kurama shivers just then. The rain has soaked his shirt and the water dripping from his hair doesn't help either.

"Excuse me." he says before turning around, getting on his knees before pulling off his shirt. May can't help but blush, quickly looking away as Kurama searches for some dry clothes. She opts for staring into the rain outside instead.

"What?" she asks, suddenly noticing that Kurama asked her something.

"I asked if you would care for a game?" he repeats, holding up a deck of cards for her to see. A towel is draped over hid head as he was also in the midst of drying his hair.

May nods in answer, eager to distract herself from her embarrassment.

They sit across from each other after May laid out her sleeping bag, going a few rounds before they decided to call it a night. May was starting to nod off by then.

After they tucked into their sleeping bags, the chill of the night really clung to May. Her damp sleeping bag wasn't helping her situation and she tried hard to resist the urge to clatter her teeth. She couldn't hide the shiver that ran through her body.

She jumped when Kurama's hand came into contact with her own. He could feel her shiver now as well beside just hear it. "You're really cold." he says softly, she almost doesn't hear him over the noise of the rain.

He suddenly sits up and zips open his thick sleeping bag, spreading it out like a blanket before scooting back. "Come." he urges gently, holding one side open for her.

May hesitates, feeling her face flush. She's glad the darkness is there to hide it.

"It's going to be a long night if you spend it in the cold." he urges further.

Finally she gives in with a sigh, knowing he's right. But that doesn't make it anymore awkward. She rolls over, her back to his chest. As Kurama drapes the sleeping bag over her, he leaves his arm to rest over her shoulder. Warmth is immediately spreading through May's body.

She can feel Kurama's breath tickle the hairs on the back of her neck, giving her a whole different kind of goosebumps.

"May?" he asks, snapping her out of her thought.

"Hm?" she simply answers, not trusting her voice at the moment.

"Are still you upset at me, for how my life's energy affected you?" he asks hesitantly, making him sound vulnerable.

She blinks for a moment, surprised. Finally she answers; "I've never been upset _at_ you." she tells him genuinely. She can feel him tighten his grip slightly. "I've just been a bit worried, but… I suppose it's not all that bad." she assures him. "At least I have you to show me the way around this." she adds as an after thought.

"Yeah." he agrees, his voice still quiet as if afraid to break the silence of the night. She can hear him clearer now though, as the rain has settled into a drizzle. Occasionally a large drop falls from the trees around them, creating a louder splash. It's more peaceful.

"Goodnight May." he tells her. She swears she can tell that he carries a smile as he spoke.

"Goodnight Kurama." she returns, closing her eyes. She hopes she can put the thought of his proximity aside for long enough to drift off. The prominence of his body heat and his arm draped around her makes it hard to do so, but eventually her body relaxes, settling into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, she must have forgotten where she is, because the first thing she does as sleep starts to leave her brain is snuggle closer to the source of warmth on one side of her.

It is only when the source of heat shifts, that she realizes something is off. Opening her eyes, she lifts her head to come face to face with a chest. Horror stricken, she looks up carefully to find Kurama's eyes still closed.

She was about to move away quietly when she spots a distinct twitch it the corner of his lips. She smacks him in the chest. "You're awake!" she states accusingly.

He opens his eyes and laughs guiltily. "I didn't want to embarrass you." he admits.

"Well that failed epically." she huffs, scooting away from him and crossing her arms. She can only imagine how red her face must be.

"I'm sorry." he says, still chuckling, making her glance at him in disbelief. "I am." he urges her to believe him.

She just shakes her head, leaving the warmth of the covers to search for her clothes. They take turns to get dressed inside the tent before checking if May's tent can be salvaged.

"It won't dry today. There is not enough sunlight." Kurama points out after they drained the water from it. "I'll give Kuwabara a call." he tells her.

After a minute, he hangs up the phone, looking over at May who tries to start a fire with some kindle that remained dry. He shakes his head. "He is already on his way. He also said that there will be more rain in the coming days according to the forecast." he explains.

"Maybe I should go back to the city." May mutters, but Kurama clearly disapproves.

"You could get lost in these woods and I sadly cannot afford the time to take you." he tells her.

May purses her lips in thought. Neither she nor Kurama she is sure, are willing to bunk with Kuwabara. He's a really restless sleeper and snores. She and Kurama are stuck with each other.

"Will you wipe that smug look off your face? You sadist!" May huffs, as Kurama seems to read her mind. He blinks innocently in reply. "You just like making me feel awkward." she accuses.

"No~. I would never." he tells her, faking innocence. "Anyway, I'll be off to train. I'm bursting with energy. I slept great." he states, turning on his heel as May's eyes glare at him in reply to his teasing. She is starting to miss his goody-two-shoes act. His mother would have a heart attack if she saw her son's true colors.

* * *

 **How was that? I hope to avoid predictability in the development of Kurama's and May's relationship. I hope it shows. I don't want it to be all 'typical', so to say.**


	19. Chapter 19

"I thought Kurama was supposed to be back by now." Kuwabara muses as he glances at the food left over for his teammate.

"Yeah, he should've been. Maybe he just forgot about the time?" May suggests as she gets to her feet. "I'll go look for him and drag him back here." she informs Kuwabara before setting off to find the redhead. She could hear Kuwabara mumble about getting some shut-eye behind her. He's been training hard all day.

With the use of the final light of the day casting onto the side of the mountain, May takes the path she has seen Kurama take several times. She can see his footsteps wherever the vegetation has thinned out and become sandy.

She has never actually seen where he trains when he's on his own and is curious to find out.

Finally she reaches a place where the trees make way for a meadow and although she cannot see it, she can hear creek run somewhere nearby. It would be rather peaceful, wasn't it for the distinct smell of blood in the air.

Frowning, May lets her eyes roam the clearing before they fall on a heap on a person at the edge. "Kurama!" she calls out, darting over there worriedly. She gasps when she spots the small sprouts protruding from his bare forearms. Little droplets of blood cling to them.

Crashing on her knees beside him, she rolls him onto his back, catching his head before it lulls over too far and crashes against her knee.

"Kurama!" she calls out again, watching a he moans softly, his brow furrowing slightly before his eyes drift open.

"May?" he questions, seeming to be a bit out of it before he blinks a few times to clear his head of the fogginess into his brain.

"What the hell have you been doing?!" May questions him, horrified.

He glances down to see the plant invading his body before remembering what he was doing before it got the best of him, knocking him unconscious. "A little experiment." he states, pushing himself upright through gritted teeth. It feels all but comfortable. May takes his wrist, helping him sit up.

"You idiot!" May scolds, knowing he has his wits about him now. "What is it with you and your self-destructive behavior? Can you not train like a normal person for once?" she asks him, making him look up at her with a hint of amusement.

"You should know by now that I'm willing to do anything to achieve my goal." he tells her, growing more serious.

May scoffs at that. "Sadly I do. But that doesn't mean I have to like it." she counters.

Kurama's gaze softens. "Are you worried for my well being May?" he asks, making her eyes widen.

"Of course you doofus." she simply states, growling as he smiles satisfied at her answer. "If this is your way to seek attention, you're going about it the wrong way." she points out, scowling.

"I assure you, that is not my intention." he tells her, before looking down at his wrists where May was still holding onto him. His eyes widen slightly and the corners of his mouth quirk up even higher. Without her knowing, she has been pushing back the plant in his body with the use of her energy.

May also looks down to where he is looking, her eyes widening in surprise. "Your training has been paying off I see." Kurama comments, watching the plant disappear beneath his skin and feeling it retreat back to the seed he planted by a little gash above his collarbone.

When it is gone completely, he pulls back his wrists and removes the seed, putting it away. He then turns back to May, managing to get to his feet with a little help from her as he stumbles a little.

Leaning onto her shoulder with one hand he looks her in the eye, the reddish light of the setting sun giving them an orange glow.

"I apologize for worrying you May." he tells her earnestly. "However, I cannot tell you I will not continue to do so in the future." he continues.

May gazes back at him for a moment in silence. She knows he's right. He will always cause her worry as long as they remain in each other's company. It's in his nature to continue to do reckless things when he sees fit.

"I know." she sighs finally. "But that still doesn't mean I have to like it." she adds before helping him walk back to the campsite.

When they get there, they find that Kuwabara has already retreated to his tent. He is probably already fast asleep.

May helps Kurama inside theirs, sitting them on their knees before telling him to rest. It only seems to amuse him how she is fussing over him.

She slaps his hands away as he struggle to unbutton his changshan. His arms, hands, and the very tips of his fingers feel sore. They both try to suppress their blush as she does the work for him before sliding it over his shoulders.

Kurama looses his balance when she does, collapsing into May before he can stop himself. He must've really tired himself out.

"Sorry." he mumbles, taking hold of her upper arms so he can move himself away. Her scent of lilacs is strong and soothing as it his senses and he can't help but linger by the side of her face.

"You are very sweet." he tells her in a soft voice, before shocking May as he turns his head to leave a small peck on her cheek, just by the corner of her mouth. She can feel her heart hammer in her chest in response.

"J-just go to sleep." she finally manages to stammer out, making him smile cheekily.

"Yes ma'am." he salutes sleepily before letting himself fall on his back, rolling over to lie down on his own side. He is out like a light, a small smile still playing at the corner of his lips.

May stares at him for a moment, her face still flushed. She is silently cursing him for his cunning ability to make her uncomfortable… but still managing to like it somehow. Kurama may be a sadist, but she might just be a masochist. What is he doing to her?

Desperate to shake off her shivers, she curls up tight in her own sleeping bag.

…

"May?"

She looks next to her to see spring leaf eyes fixed on her. "You really are sweet you know that?" he mutters.

May is speechless. How is she even supposed to react to that? And why does he keep saying that?!

She stiffens as his hand reaches out, coming down gently to cradle her cheek.

"W-wha…?" she stammers, only to be hushed by him as he trails his fingers down past her lips. She follows his fingers with her eyes, not daring to move as they trail down her neck and down her arm, coming to a stop on her waist.

She blinks in surprise when she looks back up again, finding Kurama really up in her bubble of personal space. Her eyes must be wide like saucers.

He chuckles softly. "Don't look so scared. I don't bite." he whispers against her lips before smirking. "Unless you want me to. Do you May?" he questions.

"May~. Hey May!" he suddenly calls out, confusing her for a moment.

…

She suddenly bursts upright, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She can feel her heart pounding and she feels out of breath.

"There you are. I was wondering what it would take to get you up." a voice behind her speaks up. She looks over her shoulder to see Kurama bending over by the entrance of the tent, all dressed and ready to go. There is no sigh of his previous injuries.

"Come on. Breakfast is ready." he urges before letting his voice drop to a whisper. "I'm sorry if I interrupted any pleasant dreams." he tells her with a cheeky smile before getting up and walking steadily over towards the fire, completely ignoring May glaring holes in the back of his head.

Now he's not only messing with her when she's awake, but also in her dreams! That's it! She needs to get her own tent again.


	20. Chapter 20

"May! There is someone at the door for you!" Atsuko calls, making May interrupt her Korean drama marathon. How else is she supposed to fill the time while the boys are at school?

"It's a real weirdo if you ask me." Atsuko whispers to her as she makes her way past May.

May looks towards the open front door to see someone she does not recognize. She can tell the man is a demon however if his youki is anything to go by. She cautiously approaches the man. He is rather short and lanky and does not appear all that powerful. Even she could beat him to a pulp if she wanted to, probably.

"What is it you want?" she asks, getting to the point quickly. She does not appreciate the closeness of an unfamiliar demon at the home of people she cares about.

The man quickly whips something out of his satchel, standing at attention. It nearly scared May into swing her fist at his nose in reaction. She blinks at the envelope that is held up in front of her.

"Your official invitation to the Dark Tournament miss!" he simply announces.

"Hush!" she hisses in reply, glaring him down. "Not so loud you fool." she warns him, making his knees quack slightly.

"Please take it miss. I am only the messenger and I would like to return quickly." he asks her pitifully.

"Oh fine." May sighs, taking it from the demon, whom clicks his heels in attention once before darting off quick as lightning. This guy could give Hiei a run for his money.

May stares as the black envelope for a moment, glancing over to make sure Atsuko isn't there looking over her shoulder. Opening it up, she pulls out the thick paper, reading the contents.

"Oh my." she breathes.

…..

"You what?! How do they come up with that shit?!" Yusuke shouts from his perch in Genkai's garden, losing his focus on his meditation.

"Shut it, you dimwit!" Genkai warns, making Yusuke scowl at the woman before closing his eyes again, although reluctantly.

Genkai turns back to May, who worries the corners of the invitation with her fingers, tearing the paper a little.

"It isn't like I wasn't planning to go, but…. as team manager? What does that even mean?" May wonders.

"It means you hold the responsibility over the team. If they screw up, you screw up and vice versa. If the team loses, your life will be forfeit and if they act against the rules, you will suffer the consequences." Genkai explains.

May frowns at the explanation. "I do have to agree with Yusuke. How do they come up with that shit?" she questions. The boy is slowly rubbing off on her. "I'm a nobody. Shouldn't this be Koenma's job?" she wonders.

"It should." Genkai agrees. "And he will be affected, trust me on that. For some reason, they made you the middle man who stands between the team and Koenma." Genkai tells her. "It's just a cruel act on their part to involve as many people the boys care about as leverage." she finishes.

"Dandy." May scoffs. "I don't suppose this committee will be playing very fair themselves?" she guesses.

"Don't count on it." Genkai tells her, frowning before turning her glare to Yusuke as they hear him mutter under his breath.

May sighs in dismay. She realizes that she will be put on the spot. She hoped to just sit silently in the audience without anyone noticing her, but that is out of the question now.

She glances over at Yusuke's troubled face. How will the other react when they hear about this? Yusuke and Genkai are the first to know as May wanted to find out the consequences from Genkai first.

Unlike Yusuke, May knows a bit of the Master's participation in a previous tournament. She's been around longer after all. If anyone could tell her more about this, it would be Genkai.

"Go home and try not to worry too much." Genkai tells her. "There is nothing you can do about it now."

…..

It's been a long two months, but they have finally passed. May, Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei stand by the shore, grouping together as they wait for Yusuke to arrive with their fifth fighter.

May has taken a page out of Hiei's book on glaring 101. She is the only girl there as far as she can see, and human at that. Some demons from other cliques have been eying her in manners she would rather not go into.

She hopes that if she looks intimidating enough, they will just leave her be. Sadly her work isn't that effective compared to the master himself standing behind her, scoffing every now and then. Though no one can pull off intimidation like Kurama once he gets really into it.

Whenever any demon even glances towards them wrongly, his eyes cut through them like knives, causing them to visibly flinch.

May hopes that Yusuke will be there soon. He would lighten the mood somehow.

"That Urameshi bastard sure is late. What the hell is he doing?" Kuwabara complains impatiently.

"And the fifth member isn't here yet either." Kurama adds.

"No use worrying about others. What about you? Have you at lest gotten a bit better?" Hiei directs his question towards Kuwabara, not bothering to turn and look at him.

Kuwabara scoffs. "You'll just have to look forward to seeing me in action."

May looks over as the supposed captain of the ship that had docked close by approaches. He eyes the contenders around him boredly before saying, "All of you who 'ave gathered, it's time for us to set sail."

Kuwabara quickly steps forward. "H-hey pops, can we wait another minute? One of the guests is late." he tries to stall. The pirate wannabee isn't having any of it though.

"There is a rule that in such an event, 'e is considered to 'ave fled and an assassin will be send after 'im." the captain explains. May's eyes widen in worry, although she figured as much.

 _'_ _Anytime now Yusuke.'_ she muses in herself.

"Hey! Sorry, sorry!" a voice rings over the crowd just then, making May grin as she looks over to see Yusuke approaching them, a bag thrown over his shoulder and another person following behind him.

May looks at the person curiously. They are masked, so she can't quite tell who it is. Their energy is familiar though, but she can't put her finger on it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Yusuke apologizes to his team, causing Kuwabara to scowl. "I'm worn out all over my body you know." Yusuke sighs, leaning against a tree for support.

"Hey, you're staggering there, aren't you? Are you okay?" Kuwabara questions.

Before the boy gets to answer, Hiei steps up to him. "Yusuke…" he starts, eying him for a moment before jumping in to attack. May can barely follow them with her eyes as Hiei whips out his katana and starts to slash at Yusuke who dodges blows before finally catching the blade in between his fingers.

"That was a pretty hazardous greeting." Yusuke states with a smirk, letting go of the blade. Hiei looks pleased as he puts it away.

"I don't know where you were or what you have been doing up till now, but it appears you've become a bit more capable." Hiei compliments.

"A bit, he says?" Kuwabara states dumbfounded. "He's gotten outrageously stronger, don't you know?!"

Kurama chuckles. "It's alright. If you were able to follow their movements just now, then you've grown quite a bit too." he assures the boy.

"By the way, don't tell me that runt over there is our fifth member, is he?" Hiei questions Yusuke, eying the masked person. They are even shorter Hiei, though May will not dare to voice that out loud.

"What?! This guy?! You mean this isn't some ornamental raccoon?" Kuwabara gapes, stepping up to the unknown fighter.

"Kuwabara!" May breathes, scolding. How can he be so rude?

"Relax. This is our strongest ally around." Yusuke assures him without a care.

"I'm still not convinced." Kuwabara says bluntly.

"Who cares?" Hiei states, smirking. "Just me and Yusuke will be enough."

"So then! Everyone, we will set sail!" the captain announces, making everyone file on board slowly.

May looks up as Yusuke claps his hand on her shoulder. "Excited?" he asks, grinning widely.

"Super. I've always wanted to be apart of a giant death match." she states sarcastically, crossing her arms as they find themselves a spot by the railing on the side of the deck.

"Don't worry. We'll be home before you know it." he says optimistically. May really hopes that's true.


	21. Chapter 21

May watches Kuwabara eye the masked fighter again. They haven't spoken up once and so she still has no idea who it could be.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting some shut eye." Yusuke sighs, sitting down to lean against the railing where May is dangling her feet, having taken a seat on it. He probably needs it after the training he has been through, so she just lets him do his thing.

"All things considered, this boat is pretty dismal, huh?" Hiei muses, eying the vessel boredly from his perch on top of the railing.

"We're not going sightseeing here, after all." Kurama reminds him, his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he stands there leaning on the railing in between May and Hiei.

"That's true, but they could at least give us something to eat, couldn't they? I'm starving here." Kuwabara complains, his stomach growling.

"I'm not sure I would trust anything dished out here." May speaks up.

"Meh." Kuwabara shrugs. "If I die with a full stomach, I die a happy man." he tells her, making her chuckle.

"You would." she grins.

Suddenly the captain's voice blares through the speakers, grabbing their attention. "Everyone, if you would please be quiet…. Before the boat reaches the island, and if you don't mind us calling it a replacement for the banquet, I would like to offer a little something by way of entertainment." he states.

Kuwabara leaps to his feat, getting excited, but has to real himself in quick as the captain continues; "Beginning now, we're going to 'old the preliminary tournament." he reveals, shocking them all.

Suddenly the boat starts to rock, and May has to hold on tight so she won't tumble off. To be safe she jumps down to the deck.

They watch as a ring rises from the deck after it opened up. "This is where you will fight!" the captain tells everyone. "As it 'appens, fifteen of the teams who will be appearing in the Dark Tournament 'ave already been determined and are standing by on the island. There is only one team on this boat that will be able to participate." he reveals.

"Surprise, surprise." May mutters, a scowl on her face.

"We aren't guest then?" Kuwabara wonders confused.

"This is the way they operate." Hiei tells him, undeterred. He was clearly expecting something to happen.

"Please choose who you think is the strongest contestant on your teams. They will fight atop 'ere in a battle royal. The team remaining will be given the right to enter the tournament on Kibikukuri island." the captain explains.

"Alright, let's do this!" Kuwabara states, getting pumped. "Who's going to do this?" he asks, eying his teammates. "Do we flip a coin?"

"Or let the team captain decide?" Kurama adds with a smile, receiving a glare from May.

"Knock it off. I told you to pretend like I'm not even here." she grumbles.

Luckily the issue solves itself as the masked fighter steps forward. "I'm interested to see what he can do." Hiei says, watching the figure walk up to the ring.

"You've gotta be kidding me. What are we going to do if he loses?" Kuwabara motions towards the fighter worriedly.

"If that happens, all we have to do is kill everyone on this boat. Once we do that, there will be nobody to complain." Hiei says, seeming to look forward to it. Kuwabara looks at him disturbed.

They look on, pleasantly surprised as the masked fighter takes down all the demons with one shot of their spirit energy, throwing all opponents overboard.

"Now we can see why Yusuke sleeps so soundly and without worries." Kurama states, amused.

"Unreal." May breathes.

The captain reluctantly announces their team the winners, but this news is badly received by the other teams and they look to gang up on them.

"Hey Hiei, they stole your idea." May says, backing up as they are being surrounded, seeking refuge next to Yusuke.

Hiei smirks. "They will have to pay dearly for that."

"Agreed." Kurama states before they jump into action.

As one after the other demon is slaughtered or tossed overboard, some slip passed the guys and make it to May and Yusuke.

May grits her teeth, stepping up to protect Yusuke who shows no sign of waking up anytime soon. The demons before her grin lecherously down at her. "Look what we have here; a tasty human girl. I call dibs on the legs." one says, licking his lips.

May punches the first one that leaps forward, but is not quick enough to dodge the second that comes right after. His nail scrapes a cut diagonally across her chest, making her gasp in pain as she collapses on her bum beside Yusuke.

"May!" Kuwabara calls over, having caught on, but before anything else happens to her, the demons around her are send flying. May blinks in surprise as Yusuke sprung to his feet and swings his fists around like a maniac, his eyes still closed.

"Bring it on! Don't you know how to treat a lady, you scum!" he shouts before letting his fists drop and sagging back into his previous position, sleeping away once more.

"Huh? Yusuke?" May asks, poking him once to check if he really is asleep. It seems so.

"May? Are you okay?" Kurama asks hurriedly, rushing up to them. Hiei, Kuwabara and the masked fighter follow at their own pace.

May puts a hand to the cut in her skin, flinching slightly. "It stings a little." she says, getting to her feet and noticing that no one is left alive on the ship besides the crew. "I'm going to see if I can clean this up." she states, setting off to find a bathroom or something of the sorts.

May steps into the run down bathroom after finding it, pulling paper towels from its holder. She is surprised there even are some on this shithole of a ship.

She hisses, dabbing at the crusty blood on her chest as she pulls her shirt down as far as she can. She curses as she sees the blood has run down her chest, passed underneath her bra and over her stomach, reddening the edge of her jeans.

She squeals as the door suddenly opens, revealing Kurama. "Geez, warn me next time." she scolds, letting go of her shirt, the collar snapping back in place making her wince.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see if I could help somehow." he states, inviting himself in and dumping his backpack on the edge of the sink. He quickly finds what he's looking for in there, pulling out antiseptic and a roll of compress bandages.

May takes the antiseptic from him and tries to apply it on the wound herself, but only ends up spilling it on her shirt. She can't see what she's doing. The mirror is broken, so that is no use.

With a sigh, Kurama takes it back from her hands before looking her in the eye, his face as straight as can be. "Take of your shirt." he tells her, making her gape at him.

"You aren't kidding." she states after a moment in which he only cocked his head at her impatiently.

Pursing her lips, she sucks in every bit of her courage before peeling the blood caked shirt over her head. She tries not to get it in her hair or on her face, but she can feel that something caught her cheekbone anyway.

To his credit, Kurama's gaze didn't linger at her topless body or if it did, she didn't notice at least.

He pulls out some more paper towels before stepping closer, holding them pressed just below the cut before applying the antiseptic. He mutters an apology when a little of the cold substance manages to seep past the barricade of towels and joins the trail of blood, running down her chest and leaving her to shiver for a moment.

Next, he tapes the bandages over the cut, pressing down the edges so no dirt can reach it. He doesn't even flinch when he presses down at the top of May's right breast, who herself is wondering why she hasn't fainted yet with all the blood rushing to her head.

She quickly cleans herself up a bit as Kurama rummages around in his backpack. She glances at him as he lets his pack crash to the dirty floor, her brow raised. He is looking flushed.

She eyes him as he turns to her, holding out a clean shirt of his for her to wear. He scowls at her playfully. "Cut me some slack. It's not everyday a pretty girl stands in front of me topless."

May gasps, quickly pulling the shirt out of his fingers and over her head. "Kurama!" she scolds, not believing he had to make it awkward. She looks at him like she expected better of him.

He holds up his hands, looking sheepish. "I try to be chivalrous, but I'm not a saint." he defends. He's just glad he managed to keep a straight face for as long as he did.

"I guess." May sighs, rolling her eyes. "Thanks for the help." she tells him appreciatively.

He simply nods before walking back to the others with her.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of." she states finally, a frown creasing her brow. "I knew I'd end up being a burden. I suppose that's what these people wanted when assigning me this title of team manager." she growls.

"Don't think about it too much May. It can't be helped. And we don't mind looking after you." he assures her, making her sigh. That may be so, but it still makes her feel bad.

* * *

 **I wanted to say a quick thank you to those who are still following the story relentlessly and who took the time to review. I appreciate it tremendously.**


	22. Chapter 22

After May unlocks the hotel room, the first thing Kuwabara does is dump the still sleeping Yusuke on the couch, cracking his back afterwards. "What did that guy eat?" he complains.

"I'm sure he would counter with telling you it's pure muscle." May chuckles before gazing around the room.

Kuwabara takes his and Yusuke's stuff over towards a bedroom, calling dibs. The masked fighter heads for another, quickly closing the door behind them. May takes her stuff towards the only other door to find a bedroom with en suite bathroom. It has one single bed and a double bed.

May tries to see if see can split up the double bed so there will be enough beds for all of them. "Don't bother. I won't be sleeping here." Hiei states, throwing his stuff in the corner of the room.

"Oh. Okay. Whatever floats your boat I guess." May replies, pushing the two box springs back together.

"You may take that bed if you'd like." Kurama offers.

"If you're sure?" May hesitates. Kurama only nods, setting his stuff down by the other bed.

Shrugging, May sets off to explore the bathroom. It has a neat shower behind a tiled blue wall that splits up the room. "Nice." she breathes before turning around and walking back to the common room where the others have gathered.

"At least they make you comfortable before they try to kill you." she speaks up, an ironic smile plastered on her face.

"I hear ya." Kuwabara mumbles, gaping up at the chandelier above them.

Someone knocks on the door, calling out to have coffee for them. Kuwabara lets the man in, letting him serve out the drink before retreating.

Kuwabara refuses to drink it, going for a drink he brought himself, just to be safe. May doesn't touch hers either, knowing she will not sleep that night and is currently making tea for herself.

"This is strange! There is a cup missing." she hears Kurama exclaim, eying the two remaining cups on the table.

"There were definitely six of them and since me and May are not drinking ours…" Kuwabara starts, putting the numbers together in his head.

"That's why it's strange. Yusuke is still asleep." Kurama points out.

Their eyes rush towards the kitchenette as they hear May squeal in surprise. She turned around to face the back of a brightly dressed boy crouching on the bar that is sided near the living area.

"Could you be any louder sister?" the boy scowls, looking over his shoulder at May, who watches him wide eyed.

"When did he get in the room?" Kurama asks himself as they all rush to their feet, not having sensed it.

"There's no doubt, he was hiding in this room from the start." Kuwabara says, believing that to be the only possible explanation.

"Hiding? That's outrageous. I came through the door for sure!" the boy points out, offended. "Oh, maybe I forgot to knock." he says guiltily before taking a big swig of coffee. That explains where the cup went. May can't help but think it unhealthy.

"I'm overdue introducing myself huh? I'm Rinku." he informs them. "I'm chief of special attacks for the Rokuyokai team, who you'll fight tomorrow in the first round." he explains.

"Must be nice to be guests." Rinku muses, putting his now empty cup down on its side and balancing on it playfully, only using two fingers. "You don't have to go to the boring opening ceremonies or the briefing sessions, just straight on to the matches."

"Oh that's right! Since you're all going to die anyhow, you don't need to have anything to do with the prizes and victory and such, huh?" he smiles widely. "I heard the guests this time were awesome and I had high hopes, but what a disappointment. I win all by myself this way." he continues, his smile turning into a jabbing grin.

"You talk too much Rinku." a voice cuts in, making them all turn to find another person that has infiltrated into the room. It's a tall pale looking man with blonde spiky hair.

"Another one! He wasn't here! He for sure wasn't here!" Kuwabara gasps.

Rinku launches himself off the bar, landing in front of the man. "I'm sorry Zeru. My bad habit of getting carried away showed up again." Rinku chuckles.

The man opens the door to the hallway, glancing back at team Urameshi. "Enjoy your last evening as much as you can. Tomorrow you will meet the same fate as that cup." he says, pointing back at a cup on the table. It has been split in half, spilling the coffee.

He and Rinku have left by the time they train their eyes back on the door. "The pissing match has already started." Kuwabara mumbles as he glances down at the cup that May is now cleaning up with a sigh.

….

May looks down as she hangs over the windowsill in the bedroom, her hair damp from the shower and the bandage from her chest removed. It isn't looking too bad and she is sure it will not scar over, at least not that much.

"Look at them." May states, her disgusted view on the patio below where rich people are sitting sipping cocktail, wearing their expensive dresses and costumes and looking not to have a care in the world.

Kurama appears next to her, looking down as well, leaving them shoulder-to-shoulder. "To be served up for their entertainment…" May says, scowling.

"There is a lot going on underground that you're not aware of." Kurama explains calmly. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Stuck up pricks." May mutters, making Kurama glance at her in surprise. He is not used to such course language coming from her. "Well they are." she defends herself.

Kurama shrugs, a small smile playing on his lips. "I suppose they are."

"At least they play good music." May sighs, leaning back so she can rest her head on her hand. There is indeed drifting a slow tune drifting up from below by the life band that is playing.

Kurama thinks for a moment before his smile widens. "Why not make use of it?"

"Hm?" May hums, following Kurama with her eyes as he pulls back from the window and standing up beside her before taking an elegant bow, holding out his hand.

"Care for a dance?" he offers, making her blink in surprise for a moment.

"I-I… sure." May stammers, taking Kurama's hand. He's still smiling as he wraps his other hand around her waist. May puts hers on his shoulder and Kurama pulls her along in a slow waltz.

"It's been a while, so I'm sorry if I'm a little rusty." she apologizes. She hasn't danced since before she died.

"You're doing fine." he compliment unconcerned, looking down in her eyes with a gentle gaze. It throws her off a bit, making her cheeks glow. And there is nowhere to hide.

"Gah!" May suddenly exclaims as her foot gets caught in the handle of her bag, making her tumble down, taking Kurama with her. He quickly twists her so he will not fall on top of her.

They bounce as Kurama's back hits the mattress, May lightly smacking into his chest. Simultaneously, they both freeze, trying to hear if they alerted anyone. Luckily there is no movement on the other side of the door and so no one that will catch them in their awkward position.

"You were saying?" May huffs, lifting her upper body with some difficulty as her hands sink into the soft mattress. She can also go no further as Kurama's hand is resting on her lower back.

"I stand corrected. You're a terrible dancer." Kurama tells her, making her glare up at him, but when her eyes meet his, she is caught by the light dancing in them.

"Have I ever told you about the best thing I ever stole?" he asks her quietly. May shakes her head silently in reply, not trusting her voice.

He says no more, his lips curling in a cheeky smile before tilting his head up and catching her lips with her own. They're soft and mold onto hers like they were made for each other. It only lasts a few seconds, but it's enough to turn May's world upside down.

He slowly breaks away, his eyes running over her face as if to read her thoughts.

"What…? What did that mean?" May manages to ask a little fearfully after a moment, managing to gather herself a little.

Kurama lays his head back down and moves his arms around May, holding onto her. "I meant what I said when I was glad you didn't get married when you had the chance." he tells her quietly. "My chances would have been shot before I knew I had any."

May gapes at him slightly, feeling her heart flutter in a way it never has before. She catches herself smiling, albeit shyly, but the sight makes Kurama's eyes light up even more.

* * *

 **Kurama made a move. How was that? Special thanks to those reviewing!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A little shout-out to those following this story and letting me know you like it. Thanks all!**

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The next morning, it was almost like the night before didn't happen. Kurama warned her the night before that he doesn't want anyone finding out about his feelings for the sake of her safety, but he turns out to be very good in hiding them. It's even making her believe if she dreamed it all.

Anyway, it is still early when they find themselves waiting to be introduced before the first fight. They are all nervous to one extend or the other. May herself puts a hand to her stomach. She couldn't even get herself to eat breakfast.

The entire stadium is buzzing in anticipation for the first fight of the tournament. The seats are all filled and the crowd is rowdy and impatient.

Soon enough the announcer, a vixen introducing herself as Koto, announces the Rokuyukai team. They step out of the shadows of the catacomb opposite them, most of them looking very stern. Only Rinku looks to be having a blast as the crowd cheers as they approach the ring.

"Facing them are our guests, the Urameshi team!" Koto announces next, giving them their cue to step out as well. May takes a deep breath before walking out with the rest of them. Though Yusuke is half hanging over Kuwabara's shoulder, still fast asleep.

The crowd jeers immediately as they catch site of their group, quickly setting the mood. They all clearly hate each and every member of their team. Their insults are not very creative though.

Kuwabara scoffs irritably, "What a terrible blood thirst! That's some long pent-up anger, all directed towards us."

"It's unexpected to be called traitors by these guys, since they don't have any sense of fellowship." Kurama comments, eying the crowd with distain.

"Both teams to the center!" Koto calls out from the ring, having them all meet in the middle. "We will have the captains of both teams consult to decide the methods of battle and the terms of victory." she says through the mike. "However, if an understanding cannot be reached, then each of the five members will fight one-on-one and whichever team will have the most victors, wins." she explains.

That is pretty basic, but there is one slight problem; Yusuke is still asleep. And considering he is the captain, who will step forth?

Kurama urges Kuwabara to go ahead, off-handedly using the tactic so May won't be put on the spot by default. Considering that she was forced to be there just for shits and giggles, he wishes to keep her out of the limelight as much as possible.

"Me?" Kuwabara asks feeling honored.

"That's right, you big numbskull. I, the leader, am asleep. You do it in my place." Yusuke butts in, talking in his sleep.

"It's scary how on point he is while still being asleep." May mutters in awe. Hiei agrees with a nod.

Kuwabara steps forwards, coming face to face with Zeru the cup-cutter. "I don't care what method we use. If possible, one-on-one is best." Zeru suggests.

"That's just how I want it! One-on-one is the best in a fight among men." Kuwabara agrees before turning around to leave the ring.

Zeru eyes Yusuke's form hanging from the tall boy's shoulder, looking displeased. He unleashes a wild fire around his form, catching their attention as he tries to intimidate them and perhaps get a reaction out of the sleeping boy. The heat is intense.

Zeru sends forth his flames, letting it surround the team for a moment in it's blazing heat before the flames travel off and upwards into the crowd, burning a portion of demons to a crisp.

May can't help but glare at Zeru over the pointless action. _'We got the point yesterday though guy.'_

Koto tells them to bring forth their first fighter and Rinku is eager to step up to the plate. Kuwabara, still pissed at the kid's attitude the day before, leaves Yusuke behind to take him on.

"Give it to him good Kuwabara!" Yusuke calls before calmly resuming a soft snore.

Koto lays out the rules before telling them to get cracking. It's slow to start as Kuwabara smugly dares Rinku to come at him, but when the boy finally does, he's very quick.

He bounces around like a hyperactive bunny before throwing a kick a Kuwabara, leaving a cut as he fleets past the boy. Next, Rinku delivers a kick on Kuwabara's chin.

He then continues to dart around, trying to confuse Kuwabara, but Rinku clearly is unaware at how sharp his opponent's senses are. Kuwabara picks him out rather quickly and throws his fist right into Rink's skull, catching the boy off guard.

After recovering, Rinku tries the same technique again, but Kuwabara now expects his moments and is way ahead of him, kicking him down. He follows up with a punch to the gut after which Kuwabara is determined to end it, but just before he lands the finishing blow, Rinku manages to dart away. It looks like he was hiding his read speed before.

He appears behind Kuwabara and swings out a mighty kick, right to Kuwabara's head. It makes Kuwabara hit the ground hard. There was great force behind that kick and his friends look on, wondering and worrying if he might have broken his neck.

The crowd cheers as it looks like Kuwabara is out for the count. Koto even makes it till the count of nine before Kuwabara surprisingly gets up again.

"So you can stand up to a beating, can you?" Rinku questions with a patronizing smirk before they start to circle each other again. This time, Rinku takes out eight yo-yo's from the pouch he carries with him. He energizes them with his demonic energy.

"You're finally displaying your specialty are you?" Kuwabara questions. "Then so will I!" he exclaims before producing not one, but two Spirit swords.

Rinku jumps up, throwing his yo-yo's at Kuwabara who gets ready to block them, but is surprised to find them writhing about before making contact with his body in a painful manner, throwing him back.

"Rinku's yo-yo's twisted their way in." Kurama gasps in surprise.

"A remarkable feat of control." May mutters.

Rinku goes at it again after Kuwabara is up again. Kuwabara throws up the slates of the ring to block the yo-yo's, but they just dash right through, landing another hit before the strings wrap around Kuwabara's limbs. After that, Kuwabara is a mere puppet to Rinku who repeatedly slams him into the ground.

Rinku smirks devilishly before letting Kuwabara rise up high under the control of the strings, flying him like a kite. His friends look up fearfully as the thunder crashes above Kuwabara's form.

Their attention is called by a female voice shouting behind them, "Hey Yusuke! Wake up I say! Wake up and help Kuwabara!" Keiko orders.

May's eyes widen in shock to see her, Kuwabara's sister Shizuru and Botan there. She wastes no time in running up to them.

"What are you girls doing here?! Don't you know it's dangerous?!" she scolds before Keiko turns to her with a pointed glare.

"I've had enough of all the secrets! You've been keeping all this from me for a long time now, and I say no more! That is not what friends do!" Keiko counters, before going back to yelling at Yusuke.

May sighs angrily before jumping up and clamping a hand over the girl's mouth. "Don't you know they will try to target you now that these demons know you're affiliated with us? Do you even know what you are getting yourself into?! Not knowing is what keeps you safe!" she growls before yelping as Keiko bites her hand.

"Give it up kid. There is no stopping her." Shizuru points out casually as May flaps her aching hand about. She already met the woman when coming to visit Kuwabara.

"You people are so stubborn." May hisses. "Just stay out of trouble." she warns them, making Botan give her a thumbs up.

Their attention is then thrown back to the fight. Rinku has let go of Kuwabara, making him plummet to the ground. Will he make it out alive?


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello hello! Sorry you had to wait longer than expected. I was busy finishing up my DBZ story, but now that is done, I have founds some time to write on this again. Please enjoy! Don't forget to let me know your thoughts!**

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Kuwabara rushes to the ground, about to be flattened, but he saves his hide by extending his Spirit sword and pole-vaulting towards Rinku.

Rinku is about to counteract with his yo-yo's, but to his surprise Kuwabara bends his sword around them. They impact at the same time and are thrown out of the ring.

It's silent for a moment before Koto starts to count down. One of them has to make it back to the ring in time to win, or both of them, continuing the match. The girls watch with bathed breath as the time continues to tick by.

"Get up! Get up Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouts in his sleep.

Rinku manages to set himself to his feet first before crawling into the ring where he quickly proceeds to heal himself of the wound he sustained with a grimace. Meanwhile, Yusuke continues to urge Kuwabara on, insulting him to get him going, and it's working.

Kuwabara jumps to his feet angrily. But instead of returning to the ring immediately, he goes to give Yusuke a piece of his mind.

"Kuwabara! Get back in there!" May shouts, returning to her team quickly.

"Ah! Right!" he exclaims, hearing the countdown on his behalf. He quickly tries to step up there, but to his surprise, is held back by Rinku's yo-yo's. The boy strains to keep Kuwabara out, not having much energy left.

"10!" Koto calls, making Kuwabara's struggling seize. He falls down in defeat and the yo-yo's slacken around him.

"That was rather anti-climactic." May sighs to herself, putting a hand to her forehead.

Rinku quickly retreats from the tantrum-throwing Kuwabara, healing himself further. With the first fight over, it's time for the next to fighters to step up.

A purple-skinned guy with dark hair dressed in a trench coat steps up to the plate for the Rokuyukai team. "Alright. I'll go next." Kurama states, looking unconcerned before stepping forward.

May silently wishes him good luck. Something tells her that during this tournament, she is going to be having a hard time hiding how she feels about the red head. She hopes she won't do anything stupid to betray them.

Kurama and his opponent, Roto, stare each other down for a few tense moments. May picks at a thread of her top nervously, waiting for the fight to start before Botan suddenly shows up behind her.

"Hey Botan, what did I just tell you?" May asks the perky reaper with a scowl on her face.

Hiei matches her scowl. "Go on back now. You'll get hurt." he warns, backing May up.

Botan pouts at them. "You can't talk to me like that you know! I'm over here worried for everyone's sake!" she says, only to have Hiei ignore her.

Kuwabara startles. "Does that mean you're going to take Urameshi's place?!"

Botan chuckles. "No, I'm not. Ta-da!" she exclaims, whipping off her kimono to reveal another outfit under it. "From now on, just call me Spirit realm trainer, Botan-chan!"

"What now?" Hiei muses, looking bored at the girl's antics.

"And what will be Sprit realm trainer Botan-chan's purpose be, might I ask?" May sighs.

Botan grins widely. "I'll be looking after everyone's condition of course!" she reveals, making Kuwabara perk up, looking to be expecting a massage or something, only to be disappointed when Botan rushes up to Yusuke and starts smacking him in an attempt to rouse the boy.

May stares at the girl in amazement. "Botan, don't you reckon that's a bit counterproductive?" she asks before sighing and pulling the girl away from poor Yusuke. "Step back a little would you?" she urges, knowing Botan could get hurt so close to the ring.

"Why~?" Botan pouts pathetically.

May looks at her unimpressed. "Because I said so. Geez, that used to be enough for you." she muses, crossing her arms and ignoring the crocodile tears coming from her ex-co-worker's large pink eyes.

Giving up, Botan takes Yusuke by the ankles before dragging him further from the ring with her to a more saver distance, leaving May to return her attention to Kurama, who is hopefully about to hand Roto's ass to him.

Roto says a few words to Kurama that she can't hear before forming a scythe of some sort on his arm and tries to cut down Kurama with it, 'try' being the key word here. Kurama is too quick and Roto too predictable to come even close.

Very soon Kurama is ready to put an end to the fight as he raises his arm to karate chop Roto's neck. He startles his team however when he suddenly ceases the motion and jumps back, but not before Roto cut his cheek.

"What happened?!" May gasps, watching the blood slowly seep from the diagonal cut on Kurama's otherwise pristine skin.

They watch as Roto speaks to Kurama, holding something in his left hand. It looks an awful lot like a button of some sort. Whatever he's telling Kurama, it is working to his advantage, because immediately he drops his stance, leaving himself open for anything that comes his way, which Roto is making quick use of.

He punches Kurama in the face several times before Kurama jumps away, flicking a pebble in Roto's face.

This doesn't seem to please the demon much as seems to order Kurama to put his hands behind his back and not make another move. May is so confused when Kurama does what he's told. What could make Kurama of all people obey his opponent?

"Oh!" May suddenly gasps when things suddenly seem to click in her mind. There is only one reason why Kurama hasn't cut off Roto's head yet, and that must be because he must have leverage on him. And there is only one sort of leverage that she can think off.

"Seems you caught on." Hiei muses, making her nod slowly as she looks at the coldness in Kurama's eyes, the fury burning behind those lush greens. If he could set Roto on fire with just his eyes, he would in an instant.

May grits her teeth as Kurama lets himself be abused by that coward. She resists the urge to yell at the bastard for sinking so low. How could he put an innocent women's life on the line like that!

Kurama's gaze never wavers however, causing Roto to get shaky nerves. He cuts Kurama's face once more, leaving a cross on his cheek that is coloring red.

If the physical abuse wasn't enough, Roto then urges him to get on his knees and lick his boot. This angers May even more than him hurting Kurama. Anyone humiliating him like that, harming his pride so shamefully deserves to die a most painful death.

However, this is where Kurama draws the line. May has mixed feelings when Kurama refuses. She's happy that he won't let himself be subjected to that, but what about Shiori? She can't help worry for the kind woman.

Roto looks decidedly afraid now that Kurama doesn't want to continue playing his game anymore. And he should, Kurama is after all way more powerful than the likes of him will ever be.

Roto goes to push the button that somehow means the end of Shiori's life but when he does, he finds himself frozen. Kurama stalk up to him, taking the thing from Roto's hand. May can finally hear what they are saying now that the crowd has quieted down.

"Disgusted though I am, let's go over those words that astounded me the more you kept saying them. It was your riskiest bet to try and take what you thought to be the easiest and fastest way out." Kurama calmly says.

"Earlier, I planted a Shimaneki grass seed inside you. Its roots have just barely spread out through your entire body." he reveals, drawing her and Roto's attention to a tiny sprout coming from Roto's chest. He seems to realize that Kurama already exacted his revenge when tossing that pebble earlier.

"When I give a certain word, It's going to grow explosively and pierce through your whole body. It's a good thing you're such a punk; I can be merciless without any reservation." Kurama tells Roto before turning his back to him. He ignores the demon's pleas for his life, his eyes cold as ice.

"Die."

And with that one word, the Shimaki grass obeys its master and ends Roto's life quickly though painfully, his body pierced all over by the this vines before blooming beautifully.

"It's ironic." Kurama starts. "The blood from a punk made the flowers bloom beautifully." he sighs as he makes his way from the ring now that the result of the fight is more than obvious.

"What a stupid bastard. That was the same as saying 'kill me'. Don't worry, his errand demon disappeared at the same time he died." Hiei assures Kurama, making him and May release the tension they've been holding in.

"You were aware of it then? That's great…" Kurama sighs with a relieved smile, his eyes darting towards May for a quick glance who looks visibly relieved as well. He has no doubt she figured out his predicament as well. She somehow always manages to put the puzzle together when it's laid out in front of her. It is just one of the things he likes about her so much.

"Hey, what happened? Explain it to me too." Kuwabara butts in, still confused on what happened.

"Me too okay?" Botan urges, curious to find out.

Hiei smirks. "Later."

"Later okay?" Kurama agrees as they both turn back to the ring, ready to put this behind them and look forward to the next fight.

Botan purses her lips, frowning. "Fine! You guys are so mean, both of you! Tell them May-chan!"

May shrugs in response, smiling slightly. "You heard them." she states, causing Botan to glower at her back as she too turns her attention to the ring, wondering what will come next.


	25. Chapter 25

May's mind is still reeling from the events of the day when she gets ready for bed that night. After Hiei just about made Zeru vanish into thin air after sicking his Dragon of the Darkness Flame on him, and Yusuke waking up to face the drunkard Chu who appeared out of nowhere when the remaining team members fled, they had won the match and lived to die another day.

They had taken the liberty to have a little celebration before turning in. They at least deserved that much.

May pauses as she steps out of the bathroom in her pajamas, a blue silken robe covering her frame. Kurama sits on the edge of his bed, appearing to be deep in thought. He's been rather quiet since they got back to the hotel.

"What's wrong?" she asks, knowing something is eating at him. She sits across from him on her own bed, waiting patiently for him to speak.

After a moment he does, without lifting his eyes to look at her. "Maybe it's a mistake." he tells her lowly as he bites down on his thumb nail.

May blinks in confusion. "What is?" she asks calmly, watching him shift.

He leans his arms on his knees, his eyes drilling into the carpet. "Us." he finally says, shocking May.

"Kurama…?" she breathes in surprise. She feels her heart clenching at his words.

"Today has proven it…" he continues before she can say anymore. "Already my mother has been used against me…Chances are that you're next. I cannot allow that." he states. "May, we must put an end to what we have." he concludes, finally lifting his eyes to meet her wide ones.

"W-what? No-…" she starts to counter, her heart pounding in her throat, partially from pain and also from anger. He can't just do that to her!

"If you can't, I will May. This is the end for us. I'd rather do this now, before we get more attached." he says, his voice now hard. He stands up and walks to the window, his posture tense as he watches her reflection looking at his back, stumped.

He looks away quickly, not wanting to see her look at him like that, like he betrayed her. He instead turns his gaze to the empty darkness outside that is more and more starting to resemble the haze in his mind.

Caught up in his own thoughts, he nearly startles when he feels a tap on his shoulder. He sighs, not wanting to drag this out. He turns to face her, "May…"

A loud crack echoes through the room when her flat palm meets the side of his face, right onto his healing cuts that she tended to earlier. It leaves an unpleasant sting.

He looks down at her shocked, her turquoise eyes glaring up at him harshly and unrelenting. She doesn't look to be grieving at all, just resembling the epitome of womanly fury. Of all the reactions his mind made up over the last few hours, this wasn't exactly it. Her grounded posture and blazing expression are so beautiful it almost make him drop to his knees and ask for forgiveness

"No! You can not play with my feelings like that!" she yells at him, finger raised. "You cannot make me care for you, make me… fall in love… and then cut me like a puppet on a string!" she heaves, for the first time admitting to him that she fell for him out loud.

"If you didn't want to endanger my life than you should've thought of it earlier, before we had come this far!" she scolds him. He swallows hard, knowing she has a valid point.

"You think I like seeing you risk your life? I don't for the record. But, you don't see me running off like a coward. I'm trying to stay strong and hope something good will come out of it in the end, but you go ahead and disregard my efforts by being all self-righteous! How selfish of you!" she spits, making him flinch.

"Can you not stop acting like a bad cliché for once? If you care at all, if you have any courage in your bones at all, you will not let fear take over. You will not play in their hands by isolating yourself. They don't deserve it to see you cower with your tail between your legs-..!"

May gasps as a pair of lips covers her own, silencing her rant. She blinks in shock for a moment before wrapping her arms around Kurama's neck, making his own tighten around her waist. Still high on adrenaline, she presses against him.

One of his hands starts to travel upwards, tickling her side a little, making her gasp once more. Kurama takes this opportune moment to invade her mouth and explore all the crevices, the sensation causes her to grab a fist full of his lush hair.

Kurama's hand reaches the back of her head and digs his long fingers into her own tresses, pulling gently to tilt her head slightly for better access.

May releases a sigh through her nose before sucking in a breath when his lips leave hers, only to touch down upon the tender skin below her ear and behind her jaw. A shiver runs up her spine at the sensation. She's not sure if his lips are the cause of his fingers as they trail their way along it.

Kurama slowly halts his administrations, his breath warming her neck as he takes slow and deep breaths. May is nearly limp in his arms. She is sure she would've dropped to the floor if he didn't hold her so tightly against him.

"I'm sorry May." he whispers in her ear, just loud enough to overcome the sound of her blood rushing in her veins. "Please forgive me my foolishness."

He pulls back to look into her face, his eyes sorrowful now that the lust has ebbed away. He gazes at her flushed face, anxious like he's never been before.

"You're an idiot." she breathes from her swollen lips.

He can't help but smile gently; knowing that he's been forgiven in her own half-assed way. "I know." he nods in agreement.

She releases a deep sigh before letting her head drop to his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. Kurama responds by wrapping his arms around her shoulders, holding her in a tight embrace.

"Don't let me ever catch you acting like that again Kurama." she mumbles into his chest. "I'll resent you forever if you do." she warns.

He kisses the top of her head. "I wouldn't dare." he tells her, knowing fullheartedly that it's the truth. He's impressed by the strength of mind she just showed him. He is pretty confident that when it comes to it, she is the stronger one of the both of them.

Now knowing the consequences of trying to keep her at a distance, he has to change his strategy. Instead of pushing her away, he will hold her close, very close. He will protect her from harm that is sure to come her way and he will teach all those who dare try mess with what is his, a painful lesson.

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 **Well, that escalated quickly. I hope you liked it though. I didn't want them to turn into a major cliché. May is a big girl and can put her foot down if she wants to and so she does.**

 **Anyway, sorry to those who expected me to write down all the fights in full detail. I don't want to go down that road from fear of making it look like my other story too much. I will write out what I feel is needed, but if I can skip a fight here and there, I will.**


	26. Chapter 26

It's everywhere… Flames are licking up the walls, crawling their way onto thatched roofs. The smoke is so thick; one cannot see a hand in front of their eyes.

The shaking has ceased a while back and so have the screams. The only sound to be heard is the roaring fire. It drowns out the noise of pitiful weeping and chocked sobs. No one can hear the silent pleas of those choking on the smoke before the hungry fire consumes their bodies, leaving no trace of them.

May's hands grip onto a pair of strong forearms, her eyes wide and her hair sticking to her face from the sweat oozing out her pores. She takes a few deep breaths before realizing that the vivid red in front of her is only Kurama's damp hair.

Forest green eyes take her in with concern. "May…" he breathes, his cool breath rushing over her warm face.

"I'm fine. Just a stupid dream." she assures him, dropping back onto her pillow, only to grimace when she finds it damp with her perspiration. She decides to ignore the crescent shape indentations she left in Kurama's skin; he doesn't seem bothered.

Kurama looks down at her from his spot on the edge of her bed, obviously not buying her attempt to wave it off.

"Have you had nightmares like those before? I don't recall you having them before." he questions, his eyes fixed on her in a promise that he will keep asking until she relents some information to him.

She sighs, knowing she has to give him something to satisfy his curiosity. "Sometimes…. _When I'm alone_." she answers, leaving the last part unspoken, though she can tell that Kurama can read it from her eyes.

It's true; She has dreamed of her death before. It occurs once in a while, ever since she found herself among the living again. It has not always affecting her like this though and the nightmare was absent altogether when Kurama slept beside her in the tent for those days. She supposes the stress is getting to her, awakening simmering fears from the depths of her mind.

"What was it about?" Kurama asks next, snapping her out of her thoughts. She forgot he was still gazing down at her for a moment, waiting for answers.

"Burning." she answers simply, knowing it is all he needs to put the pieces together.

He nods in understanding. "The shower is free." he tells her, picking at a lock of her hair that is stuck to her cheek. She nods silently before getting up and stumbling to the bathroom, Kurama's concerned eyes following her all the way there.

She feels better and more awake when she slips out of the bedroom after having freshened up and put on some clothes. She glances towards the ajar bedroom door of Yusuke and Kuwabara. It looks like they are already out.

"Shizuru came by. She wanted to know if you wanted to spend the day with the girls today." Kurama speaks up, putting down a hot cup of tea for her. "She will drop by again when she comes back up from picking up snacks and drinks."

May blinks surprised. She's never really been invited to a girl's day before. She's curious, although…

"What are you going to do today?" she questions, making him chuckle.

"Don't tell me your afraid to hang out with the girls May." he laughs, making her glare pathetically.

"No." she heaves. "It's just… I'm not sure how sore Keiko still is about me keeping all this a secret. I don't know her all that well. What is she holds a grudge?" May counters.

Kurama eyes her with amusement. "I'm sure it will be fine. But if you really object to spending time with girls who are reaching out an offer to be your friends, you can always come with me and presumably watch a bloody fight." he states with a shrug.

May glowers at him. "You are such a…." She quickly closes her mouth before she says something she will regret. The first word that came to her hear once again makes her realize how much time she has been spending with Yusuke. Instead, she purses her lips, silently cursing him for guilt tripping her into spending the day with the girls.

Victory dances in his eyes before a knock on the door sounds and he saunters over to open it. "That would be my cue I suppose." she says before downing the still slightly hot tea quickly, scorching her tongue. She shakes her head at the sensation. "Ack!"

"She's all yours." Kurama tells Shizuru who stands there with her arms full of cans of soda.

Shizuru eyes the demon as he quickly slips on his shoes. "I thought you'd be off already. The match is nearly starting." she points out. "Worried to leave her by herself fox?" she questions, making Kurama tilt his head slightly, feigning innocence quite perfectly although surprised on the inside at Shizuru's on point observation.

"May can take care of herself." he shrugs. "Have fun." he tells the both of them before striding down the hallway, Shizuru's scrutinizing gaze burning on his back.

The young woman scoffs before turning back to a slightly annoyed May. Seems like he's gone from keeping her at bay to overprotective, albeit he's subtle about it. May didn't notice until Shizuru pointed it out. Can't be there a way down the middle with that boy?

"That fox is so hung up on you." Shizuru states bluntly, startling May.

"W-what?! N-no!" she sputters before falling silent from Shizuru's look. If she's ever seen anyone looking like their not buying her shit, that's one right there.

She nods her head to motion May to follow her. "Don't worry. I'm not going to shout it off the roofs kid. It's a dangerous game you two are playing here." she assures May, who closes the door behind her before accepting some of the load of cans dumped on her by the older girl.

May sighs, half in relief and also because she is right. This is a bad time and place to explore relations with someone who is hated by so many on this island. But she made the call yesterday not to give a damn, so there is no backtracking. And she doesn't want to.

"Let's not worry about it and have some fun instead." Shizuru suggests. May nods in agreement, wondering how a day with the girls will play itself out.

…

"Er…" May stammers, blinking at Botan stupidly. Shizuru's laughter echoes around the room and Keiko watches curiously, wondering if what Botan just blurted out has a core of truth in it.

No, Keiko did not bite May's head of. May decided to properly apologize before she could and it seems that was all the other girl really wanted. They appear to be getting along better now.

"Botan…" May starts. "Hiei and I are just friends." she tells earnestly, finding the suggestion of them being anything else pretty absurd.

Botan pouts. "Are you sure? I mean, you're about the only one he isn't snappy with. It wasn't that farfetched to think so, was it?" she backs herself up, a bit embarrassed now for even asking.

"I-I suppose. But really, we just have a mutual understanding or something." May assures the reaper.

"Oh. Oh, well then. Never mind me!" Botan laughs, waving awkwardly.

Shizuru manages to swallow her laughter down before butting in, "Don't worry Botan. I'd ship them to if I didn't know better now. It's because May can be a bitter little thing too. I understand completely." she says before snorting in laughter again. Keiko can't help but giggle.

"Hey!" May fumes. "I'm not bitter!"

Botan hums. "Well… You are a little bit May-chan. But not as bad as before!" she quickly adds the last part when the tropical eyes turn cold when snapping to her bubblegum pink ones.

"Is that supposed to make it better?" May asks incredulously.

Botan looks at her guiltily before realizing something. "But May-chan, now that you're alive again, you can date again! Oh! Maybe we can set you up with someone! Who do we know…?" she muses, finger to her chin as she's deep in thought. Shizuru looks on amused at May's panicked eyes.

Suddenly the perfect distraction comes to Mays' mind, "Botan, don't bother. Why don't you focus on Keiko and Yusuke instead? They have a thing going on." she quickly says, smirking when Keiko looks at her startled.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Keiko says a little too quickly before adverting her eyes from the other girls, taking a hurried drink from her juice.

Botan snickers. "You keep telling yourself that Keiko-chan~." she sings, seeing Keiko's cheeks flush.

"Alright, enough of this. Time to return to the game." Shizuru cuts in before things get even further off track. She takes the dice, shaking them excitedly. "Prepare to pay up, because I'm buying hotels in the next round!"


	27. Chapter 27

**Sorry about the wait. My weekends have been busy with Kings day and Liberation day and all that. I haven't been able to write. This chap is not very interesting either, so I'm sorry about that too. It's just a bit of filler, but some important things are discussed.**

* * *

"Yusuke! Kuwabara! Wake up already!" May shouts, knocking on their door loudly. Don't these guys know they have a match coming up today?

Before she can knock again, the door swings open to reveal Kuwabara, already dressed. "Oh. You're up." May breathes.

"Of course. Don't wanna be late." Kuwabara tells her cheerfully, although it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Ah! Breakfast!" Yusuke calls out before barreling nearly over the two of them. Jumping on the couch, he starts to inhale the croissants laid out on the tray May ordered.

Kuwabara follows sluggishly, sitting down on the other couch after nodding towards the Masked fighter in greeting. He has been standing there staring out the window for a while now.

"Something wrong Kuwabara?" May can't help but ask, bothered that the boy is not his usual self. He's not even touching his food.

Yusuke pauses to look at his friend. "What's up? Aren't you eating? You look a little pale. Do you have the runs?" he asks seriously. May rolls her eyes at his crass statement.

"I had a nasty dream." Kuwabara mutters solemnly.

Yusuke pauses. "A dream?"

"Yeah." Kuwabara confirms. "It was about these three martial artists." he explains.

"And you were blown to bits by these guys?" Yusuke laughs obnoxiously before May throws a pillow in his face to shut him up. "How am I supposed to listen seriously to one of your dreams?" he wonders before going back to shoveling the food down his throat.

"Oh yeah? I'm never going to talk to you about it again then!" Kuwabara growls, making Yusuke give a sound of approval. Kuwabara then looks around the room, "By the way, where did Kurama and Hiei go?"

"Beats me." Yusuke hums, before looking to May. "Where did your bunk buddy head of to?"

May shrugs. "Not really sure. He was gone before I woke up."

"Mh? Weird." Yusuke muses, before waving it off. "They'll show up. Let's go!" he calls excitedly, ready for a new fight.

On their way, there is someone waiting for them in the hallways of the stadium. Yusuke looks at the brown haired guy, annoyed for blocking the path. "Who the hell are you?"

"Morning Koenma-sama. It's been a while." May greets, receiving a cool nod in return. She rolls her eyes. He's always trying to appear tougher when he's in this form.

Yusuke blinks in surprise. "Now that you mention it…." he mutters, getting in Koenma's face. "That stupid pacifier…" he points at the thing in Koenma's mouth. "You _are_ Koenma!"

"That's right. I take this form when I'm in the human realm." he explains. "Pretty handsome huh?" he boasts.

"If you didn't have the pacifier, maybe." Yusuke tells him.

"Drop it, you moron!" Koenma scolds before greeting Kuwabara. May realizes they never actually met. "I've come here to lend you my strength as the Urameshi team owner." he explains, making May wonder what will be the use of that.

"Anyway, I took care of your egg earlier didn't I?" Koenma reminds Yusuke who appears to have forgotten all about it. "I'm talking about the Spirit beast egg that I have lent you earlier to come back to life." Koenma hints annoyed.

"Oh!" Yusuke exclaims, smacking his fist in his hand as he remembers.

"Don't 'oh' me!" Koenma hisses. "Here I thought you might be concerned and this is what I get?"

"Koenma-sama…" May drawl, gaining his attention. "You're talking about it hatching, is that right? All this time it has been living on Yusuke's Spirit energy, hasn't it?"

"That right." he answers. "I believe it will hatch in the next few days. The Spirit beast that is born, should definitely be of help to you." he explains, turning to Yusuke. "By the way, just how much did you learn from Master Genkai?" he asks, glancing discreetly to the Masked fighter, though it doesn't escape May, who narrows her eyes in thought. "No doubt she thought you all about the ultimate secrets she knows, right?"

Yusuke shrugs. "We continued going over the Basics of the Spirit Wave. That's what we did." he tells Koenma before stepping past him to head onward towards the upcoming fight, missing Koenma trip over himself in shock. He expected more.

He watches the three fighters walk off before turning towards May, who paused beside him. "Somehow I think he'll be okay. He has… something." she tells him, not quite able to find the right word.

Koenma nods, still a little worried. "He indeed has 'something'. Let's just hope that is just what he needs."

May quickly hurries after the others, reaching them just in time before they step out into the open. Once again the noise of the crowd assaults her ears. It seems ever more crowded than last time.

Waiting for them are the opposing team; Dr. Ichigaki's. Somehow they too seem to have two missing teammates. It seems a little too coincidental to May's taste.

"This is a surprise…" Kuwabara gasps.

Yusuke looks up at him concerned. "What's wrong?"

"The dream! The dream I had!" Kuwabara stammers. "Those guys are all just the way they looked in my dream!" he exclaims, surprising his friends. "My dream has become reality."

"I don't know if you just have become clairvoyant, but this is usually a sign to take it seriously." May tells Kuwabara. "Be on your guard." she warns, seeing Dr. Ichigaki smirk creepily.


	28. Chapter 28

They stand silent for a moment, facing each other. The opponents seem mostly human men and quite young still, which is pretty unusual. May was sure at first that Yusuke and Kuwabara were going to be the only humans fighting. Most humans just don't have what it takes to participate.

Dr. Ichigaki chuckles in amusement. "This is fortuitous. "Both sides have three people huh? How does this sound? The contest will be decided three-against-three." he suggests.

"We don't mind. And you're going to watch from a distance?" Yusuke asks.

Dr. Ichigaki once again chuckles. "I am after all the team's alternate and adviser. The ones who will be fighting are my adorable experimental materials, the Marmots."

"Marmots?" Yusuke questions.

"Experimental?" May wonders at the same time.

"My dream is to create the mightiest of biological weapons. Fearing nothing, being bound by nothing, and acting at my will; the perfect killing machines! These three are my experimental models." Ichigaki explains, making them look at him in distaste.

"I've had enough of your talk!" Yusuke growls disgusted.

"Well hear me out." the doctor starts. "I have great interest in you guys as well. How about it? In order to make this match more thrilling, I have a proposal; If we win, I would like to have your bodies." he states, making Yusuke and Kuwabara look at him shocked.

Yusuke balls his fists, growing determined. "And if we win, I'm gonna kill you!"

Ichigaki laughs pleased. "Very well." he agrees.

"I have one other proposal." the Masked fighter cuts in, surprising them all, for he is us ally silent, though… Is it a he? That voice sounds rather feminine. May immediately thinks back to the conversation they had with Koenma earlier. It doesn't really sound like Genkai, at least, not how she sounds now, old and with a crack in her voice from smoking too much. Who is this?

"The match will be a six-person battle. In other words, I want to settle this all at once." they demand.

Ichigaki whips out a calculator, turning his back for a moment before turning around, chuckling that annoying laugh of his. "Very well. Why don't I accept that proposal?" he agrees, seeming to be quite satisfied before turning and leaving the ring to the fighters.

"Good luck." May wishes them before hurrying off as well. She feels uncomfortable standing alone by the side of the ring. She wonders when Kurama and Hiei are going to show up. She's growing a little worried.

The match has starts off excitedly immediately. Those guys prove to be very strong, but things with them definitely aren't right. They act like zombies; there is no emotion on their face whatsoever.

This fight is really difficult for Yusuke, Kuwabara and Genkai. The attacks they try to dodge are mostly invisible and because Ichigaku has apparently brainwashed them or something similar, they just can't fight back full power. Not that Yusuke can either way; his Spirit gun just can't seem to work.

Just when Yusuke is about to be crushed by an attack, the Masked fighter kicks him out of the way, taking the hit. They land outside the ring and May wastes no time running over.

"Mask!?" she calls, worried as they took the hit straight on. She halt in her tracks however when they get up. May notes the wrapping of the mask is tearing and withering, revealing a bright pink ponytail and more facial features.

"Ah! It really is you! Somehow…" May exclaims before a stern glare shuts her up.

"Not a word. We'll talk later." she shushes May before darting back to the ring and coming to Yusuke and Kuwabara's aid once again.

May gapes as the figure she now knows to be Genkai, though not looking over the age of twenty, standing in the middle of the ring, scolding the two baffled boys. May knew it was her because she met the physic when she was still young. "How?" May breathes, impatient to find out and bummed out that she has to keep this a secret from everyone. Kurama will surely find out she knows more than letting on.

Well, no matter how she does it. Genkai sure looks good.

Before everyone can gape at the short woman any more, a body comes falling out of the sky, crashing into the ring before sailing off it. It's a missing member of Ichigaki's team!

Another larger body or maybe robot comes crashing down, followed by Hiei and Kurama who land gracefully on top of it.

"We heard everything from that guy we just threw out." Hiei starts before Kurama continues explaining.

"Those three are the beloved pupils of a famous martial artist, and in exchange for healing his disease, they have allowed their bodies to be used in this experiment! Of course, never did they dream they would become mechanisms of murder." he says, sounding rather angry.

"Furthermore, we learned that even their master's illness was a trap for them set up by Ichigaki over there." he reveals.

Kuwabara and Yusuke stumble, shocked and appalled while Ichigaki only laughs in glee. He has no problem admitting what he did and it sickens the others. The two boys rush at the doctor in anger, but are held back by the trio of fighters who are under his control.

The boys try to reason with them, but there is no way they can fight back against the control of Ichigaki as he explains those humps on their backs are controlling them and removing them will get them killed. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Genkai are bound to fight against men who were forced to. It's tragic.

The fight continues and Kuwabara lets himself be abused as he tries everything to snap those three out of it. It's pointless though. Even if they know what they are doing, they can't stop it. Soon, Kuwabara is knocked out of the ring. Botan rushes towards him, having come down from the stands.

Kuwabara's attempts seem to have reached something within those three as they start to cry tears of blood, begging Yusuke to kill them. May look at them horrified. This isn't right at all. Where is their justice?

Meanwhile, Ichigaki is still looking very pleased. May has never seen such a monster like him. She clenches her fists. "Filthy creature." she hisses hatefully, not noticing the ground below her stir.

It goes unnoticed as Yusuke's energy level starts to rise in his anger. He starts to fight back and with success.

"For your sake, I will harden my heart! Go on to the Other world and wait for me there!" Yusuke tells the three, as he is about to grant their wish.

He jumps up, about to finish them off with a Spirit gun gathered with his newfound strength. Genkai, who has tied her ruined mask in place as best as she could, stops him just in time, seeming to temporarily freeze him somehow.

She steps up before Yusuke, closing her eyes as she drops into a stance and starts to chant. A huge wave of energy comes from her fingers. As the fighters as send off towards her by Ichigaki, she continues her chant before creating a dome around her.

It spreads out, pushing Yusuke back and catching the three fighters. "Cho." she calls, finishing her chant before darting towards them. With swift moves, she pierces their hearts.

The effect is instant as the controlling lumps on their backs explode off of them. They drop to the ground lifelessly after that. Everyone watches them with wide eyes, sensing no energy coming from them. They must be dead…

Koto takes the ten count, leaving their team the winners, but there is no celebrating.

Yusuke marches towards Ichigaki angrily. "Hey you! you are definitely going to pay for this!" he sneers.

Ichigaki backs up, only to find himself unable to move. "Your doing?" Hiei asks from behind the doctor as he sees old tree roots have wrapped around the doctor's ankles.

"No. Not mine." Kurama replies in surprise before letting his eyes fleet to May who is standing on the other side of the ring, her eyes burning.

"Y-your sure about this?" Ichigaki stammers with the threat of death looming over him. "If you kill me than their master dies too! I'm the only one who knows where he is and produce the antidote!"

"Is that so?" Kurama asks before calling his bluff, pointing his thumb at a weakened man who has found his way into the stadium. It seems he and Hiei dragged the answer out of the guy from earlier. And Kurama took the liberty to create an antidote himself.

"W-why you…" the master snarls, angry at what Ichigaki has done to his pupils.

"Are you ready? You bastard scum!" Yusuke shouts, ready to take him down.

Ichigaki whips out a syringe from his pocket however and quickly injects himself. He starts to transform right after into a giant green monster, breaking free from his bounds.

He starts to attack Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei, his arms elongating unnaturally before retreating. He manages to cut Yusuke's arm on his second try.

As he goes to crush the boy, Hiei tries to defend him but Yusuke is determined to take Ichigaki down himself. Hiei stands down and lets him.

Yusuke is still so full of anger and Ichigaki underestimates him. It proves fatal when Yusuke crushes him completely, sending him flying towards the upper ring of the stadium with a single punch.

As the master of the three fighters grieves, Genkai assures them they aren't dead. And to everyone's surprise, they get to their feet, dazed, but otherwise fine. As they embrace their master after begging for his forgiveness, May can't help but smile. That's the sort of endings she likes best. Genkai saved them.

She looks up when Kurama steps up beside her. "Are you okay, May?" he wonders, smiling as she nods with a frown, thinking back to earlier.

"I really hated him." May confesses, making Kurama nod.

"I understand." he muses. "You're getting stronger, but be careful." he warns lightly.

"Yeah." she sighs in reply before her smile returns. "Glad you're back."


	29. Chapter 29

The now free men have left the stadium with their master, ready to go home. The others are ready to retreat to the hotel as well, considering Kuwabara's bones are near rattling from the blow he received.

Their retreat however is thwarted by an announcement made; "We will now hold the third round of the tournament!"

"What?!" Yusuke exclaims in disbelief, realizing it's them that have to fight again.

"Once again; the third round will be held now. The competing teams are the Urameshi team and the Mashotsukai team!" the announcer calls.

"They are at it again." May sneers in distaste towards the corrupt organization of the event.

Yusuke runs into the ring, seething as he cusses them, coming to a stop before Koto who looked just as surprised. She can't do anything about it.

Yusuke puts his hard feelings aside. "Alright, we'll do it then! I'm still worked up after what happened with Ichigaki."

May looks on worriedly as the other team is called forward. She can't tell who they are with their cloaks, but they are all still fit to fight, while half of her team is a bit worse for wear. This won't be easy.

Botan helps Kuwabara back over as he's being too stubborn to sit on the sidelines. Yusuke glances over at him. "Kuwabara is too injured. We'll somehow have to fight with just the four of us." he muses.

"He's not the only one who can't fight." Kurama points out, looking to who May now knows to be Genkai. "Mask's spiritual power has got to be pretty low."

Yusuke looks troubled. "In that case, the three of us will have to fight." he states.

Kurama glances at Hiei at that. He knows his friend isn't in the best shape either. After having used his dragon, his arm has become pretty much useless. It's a question of to what he can still do without it.

His musings are cut off by a power suddenly emanating from one of the cloaked figures across them. The wind picks up and the cloak is thrown off to reveal a tall red-headed demon with a small horn centered at the top of his forehead.

"I'll go." he states, revealing he plans to start off the match.

"Jin the Windmaster?" Kurama breathes in realization, making May glance up at him curiously. "If that is the case, then don't tell me those guys are…." he doesn't finish, a frown etched on his face.

"You know them" Yusuke wonders, worried at Kurama's reaction to Jin revealing himself.

Kurama nods. "Yeah, they are famous demons. Mashotsukai would seem to be an assumed name." he begins. "Their true identities are the Shinobi of the Demon world." he reveals.

"Shinobi? You mean ninja's?" Yusuke muses.

They look over to see Jin stepping forward, his feet, only little covered with bandages slap against the tiles as he approaches. He looks really eager.

Yusuke steps up to him, meeting him halfway as Koto asks them to decide the manner in which they will be fighting. Jin's tall form hovers over the medium sized human boy.

Jin is the first to open his mouth. "One-on-one elimination. We'll keep fightin' until there are no more opponents left." he suggests, his Irish accent think as he speaks.

"Fine with me." Yusuke agrees. With that out of the way, they circle each other once before stepping away.

May feels her stomach sink to her shoes when she hears the tune prior to an announcement. It's like her body has already been conditioned to expect something bad when she hears the noise and it proves itself once again…

"Now then, before the third round, the administrative office will conduct a medical check." the voice announces.

"Medical check?" Yusuke questions as he jumps down from the ring.

"This is to give special treatment to the conditions of those of the Urameshi team, who must fight consecutively, owing to the day's schedule." the voice explains over the speakers.

May scoffs beside Yusuke. "Didn't know they cared." Hiei hums in agreement behind her.

They turn around as the tarp of a medical tent slides open to reveal a slip redheaded nurse in a lavender outfit. May watches her approach before she seems to read the fighters with an outstretched hand. She can't help but narrow her eyes at the woman, feeling distrustful.

When the woman's eyes glance at her figure, she smiles in a way that nearly sets May off. She just wants to heave her boys and Genkai onto her back and run for the mountains.

The woman pauses at Hiei and Genkai. "You and you, can I have you come with me please?" she requests.

"I don't need your help. Why don't you take that guy laying down behind us." Hiei tells her, referring to the beaten down Kuwabara.

The nurse smiles, appearing innocent. "I'm only going to ask you fighters two or three questions. It will be over right away." she assures Hiei. The two reluctantly follow after her towards the medical tent after that.

"I don't trust her." May mutters, a heavy frown set on her face, making Kurama look over curiously before glancing back at the nurse again.

Yusuke scoffs in amusement. "Of course you wouldn't. Girls never trust anyone looking prettier then themselves." he laughs before doubling over as May kicks his shin, hard.

"Don't be daft!" she scolds him as he shoots her a glare, muttering profanities under his breath, which she pointedly ignores.

He looks up surprised when Hiei and Genkai, who he still hasn't recognized for who she is, try to leave the tent, only to be stopped by a force field of sorts." What is that!?" he asks, shocked.

"It's a peripheral realm." Kurama states in recognition.

Yusuke runs over to the nurse. "Hey! What are you trying to pull?" He can't reach her however as the blue force crackles between them.

The 'nurse' casts away her outfit to reveal her rather scantily covered up by some sort of cords. "I am Ruka, the periphery master." she introduces. "I pride myself on the ability of casting defensive walls… Among the foremost in the Demon realm."

"Let those two out of there!" Yusuke calls in warning.

Ruka only smirks. "It is useless to make a fuss or to put up a struggle. They cannot leave here." And to prove her point, she strengthens her barrier, throwing Hiei and Genkai back as they are wrecked with pain. She really is skilled in her field.

She casts her eyes to May. "The girl has good instinct. You should have listened." she chuckles, making May grit her teeth. What she wouldn't give to slap the woman silly.

The announcers voice can be once again heard around the stadium. "As a result of their medical checks, Hiei and the Masked fighter have been ruled unfit to fight in the third round.

Jin, unpleased with how the way things turned leaves the ring, leaving the fighting to someone else for now. Another steps in his place. It is a lanky demon, all thin and sinewy. He calls himself Gama, the body paint bearer. He looks rather bare as of yet though.

Yusuke is about to step up, only to have Kurama stop him. "I'd like to say that I can put all these guys away, but judging from their Demon energy, they are not going to allow that. I'll find out as much as I can of what they have up their sleeves. The rest will be up to you." he tells Yusuke.

So Kurama is planning to take down as many as he can before he is forced to tap out. May doesn't like the sound of that. It means he's going to get hurt again. She hopes he doesn't get himself killed.

* * *

 **Phew. It's getting pretty hard to type out chapters for this story. I'm halfway running into a writers block it feels. This really sucks. I always have some ideas for oncoming chapters, but with this one, there is hardly anything I'm working forward to. I just make it up as I go. I just hope it doesn't show to badly.**


	30. Chapter 30

"Kurama!" May shouts again, this time her hands slapping on the ring as she tries to look at his face. Blood is dripping from his body steadily. He needs to get down so she can help him.

"It's no use. He's out cold." Yusuke mutters worriedly. "I'll go get him." he tells her, looking pained after seeing how much this worry for the fox spirit is eating at his sister figure.

It had been a harsh set of fights: Firstly Gama, who sealed Kurama's body and later also his spirit energy. And right after Touya, a powerful ice demon who nearly killed him if it wasn't for him risking to grow Shimaneki grass inside his body to circumvent the loss of his Demon energy, feeding it with his life's energy instead.

That grass is the only reason why Kurama is still on his feet, but otherwise, he's completely out of it.

"Hey referee! I'm swapping in! I'll fight from here on!" Yusuke calls, going to climb into the ring.

"Oh no, you can't do that." a voice calls back as a large toned man steps up to Kurama and Koto who is beside him still after checking that he is indeed still alive.

"This guy's still standing here, ain't he?" he smirks, leaning over the unknowing redhead. "Well now, this time you have to take on me; Bakken-sama!"

Yusuke growls. "You dumbass. Kurama can't fight anymore! I'm fighting from here on!"

"Koto!" May shouts, making the fox girl's head snap at her. "You can make the call! You know there is no way he's fighting!" she urges, hoping she will hurry.

Koto nods. "I-I will allow the swap!" she judges.

However, despite her ruling, the big guys up there rule differently and judge that Kurama is to continue fighting.

Fear grips May's heart. "Yusuke!" she calls, looking to him for help. If the fight is allowed, Bakken will kill Kurama for sure. Yusuke looks up at the two in shock, not sure what to do.

Bakken chuckles, picking up a struggling Koto by the scruff of her neck. "They are saying you aren't fit to be the referee." he tells her before tossing her off the ring, making her land in a heap, though she looks to be okay.

Bakken steps up in front of Kurama. "Okay, let's get down to enjoying this." he chuckles once again before landing a solid hit on Kurama, making him fly back.

"Cut it out already! Come on!" Kuwabara shouts.

"You call yourself a man!?" Botan adds angrily.

Bakken laughs down at Kurama's body. "You make a good punching bag. There, you see?" he says, kicking him in the side. May flinches harshly.

Koto has returned to the side of the ring. "Contestant Kurama is down! Contestant Bakken, step away!" she calls, making him round on her. "I-I'm going to count…" she stammers.

As she counts, Bakken picks up Kurama, setting him upright. "Now he's no longer down. The match continues." he states without a care, before punching Kurama in the gut, followed by a few more hits before his shirt rips, making him fall to the ground.

May is watching, horror-stricken as a fresh flow of blood starts to poor from his head. "S-Stop it!" she can't help but call out.

Koto looks grossed out at the way this match is conducted and rushes between Kurama and Bakken. This is entirely against her principles. She is eager to finish her ten count this time. However, she is smacked aside harshly. Bakken has no ears for her.

Yusuke clenches his fists, feeling like he's about to reach the limit of his patience. He glances at the shaking figure of May next to him. She looks like she's ready to crumble apart. He has never seen her look so scared, so helpless.

His eyes widen when a lone tear rolls down her red cheek as Kurama's name rolls softly of her tongue. _'May… Do you love him?'_ he wonders to himself, before letting his eyes travel to Kurama. He wonders what will happen to her, with him gone…

Bakken steps up to Kurama, picking him up once again, clear set on killing him. "Now to finish you off! I'm going to turn your face into putty!"

"Bastard!" Yusuke growls, a fire in his eyes that threatens to consume Bakken.

A fist flies at Kurama, but a voice calls out from one of his teammates, "Quit it, Bakken!"

Bakken halts in his tracks. "What was that Risho?"

"I said quit it." the cloaked man repeats. "If you had hit him, you would have been killed. Look behind you."

"What?" Bakken questions, turning to look back to see Yusuke pointing his finger at him, ready to blast him to pieces. He's seething.

Risho speaks up again, "He means it. Even if it means disobeying the tournament's rules and taking on every Demon in the stadium, he probably would have fired his Spirit gun." he explains. "Our purpose here is to find our way through. There is no need to kill each other wastefully."

Bakken is reluctant to listen at first, but after taking another glance in Yusuke's direction, he relents. "Fine. I'll return him to you!" he calls, tossing Kurama unceremoniously out of the ring. May is with him in a flash.

She looks up when Yusuke crouches down on the other side and picks Kurama up. "Come on May." he ushers gently, walking over to set Kurama down in a more suited place, leaving May to follow.

"I'm leaving him to you, okay?" he asks the still teary eyed girl, who has fallen silent. She only nods quietly in reply. "I'll take him down good for ya." he promises, setting his eyes on Bakken.

"What's that look for?" Bakken asks, looking down at Yusuke. "Did you think that look would shy me away or something? Who do you think I am?!"

"Is that how badly you want an early death?" Yusuke counters, carrying every intention in him to make Bakken suffer. He steps into the ring, set on destruction, leaving May and Kurama behind.

May places her hands gently on Kurama, hoping she can at least repeat that trick she pulled when Kurama was training so carelessly. She will give all her energy to safe his life if she has to.


	31. Chapter 31

Kurama's green eyes flutter open, his mind working to identify all that is going on around him. What he sees makes him smile. He follows the graceful pale hands clutching to his arms to his girlfriend who sits cross-legged next to him, her head drooped to her chest.

"May?" he asks quietly, gasping a little as pain wrecks his body. With a snort her head whips up, her stunning eyes opening to meet his. "Don't overdo it." he tells her, taking notice that the reason why she is clutching on to him is so she can tame the Shimaneki grass in his body.

He can feel it retreating, her warm energy flowing inside him. It's a wonderful feeling, he notes.

Her eyes narrow, making her look even more harried with her red-rimmed eyes and blue tinted bags under them. Her cheeks are flushed.

"Shut up." she merely mutters, making him hide another smile.

Yusuke jumps down beside the two. "Kurama?" he voices worriedly.

The redhead looks up at him apologetically. "Sorry about that. According to what I had planned, I was hoping to defeat three of them." he apologizes.

Yusuke waves it off, not caring about that. "Are your injuries okay?"

"It's not the injuries, but the Shimaneki grass I planted inside my body that is causing the most trouble, but…" he pauses, smiling softly at the girl locking eyes with his. "That problem is covered." he finishes in a slightly rasping voice. It still hurts very much after all.

Yusuke nods, noticing the look the fox demon is giving his sister figure. "Yeah. Take it easy. I'll be sure to take care of the remaining two." he assures him.

"Don't get careless Yusuke." Kurama warns him. "The last two are definitely in the captain's class."

Yusuke nods in understanding before righting himself and returning to the ring. May tiredly watches him stride over to meet Jin the Windmaster in the middle. He looks excited. He must be strong if he has no hesitation of fighting Yusuke after his previous display.

May hopes Yusuke can take him, preferably a bit quickly, because to be honest, she is done with all the worrying she has done today.

…...

May watches the two clash again and again, all the while not losing their vigor. Jin is right up Yusuke's alley. It's amazing how much they have. It's almost like Yusuke's here to make friends instead of fight for his life.

"It really takes a special kind of person to enjoy himself this much in a place like this huh?" she muses, shaking her head lightly. Moving too rapidly will make her dizzy. She's completely beat.

"Agreed." Kurama states, reaching to wipe some dust from her brow that has gathered there after Jin tore up the wall.

They look on as the human boy blocks Jin's double Shura Senpu-Ken before throwing an energy filled fist right into the tall demon's gut, sending him crashing into the stands, taking everyone with him who doesn't get out of the way in time. Luckily the girls fled in time.

Koto starts the countdown, as Jin lies sprawled in the upper ring. Yusuke waits to see if he will come back down, hoping with every fiber in his body that won't be the case. He pulled out all the tricks he has to fight Jin. If he were to get up…

Jin barely manages to get to his feet to compliment Yusuke on his punch before he stumbles forward, collapsing onto his face.

Yusuke breathes a sigh of relief as he's declared the winner. He honestly doesn't think he would have made it if this fight continued on.

He doesn't have much time to catch his breath though as the last and final competitor steps up, revealing a thin, pale, dark haired demon going by the name of Risho. He is a pretty smug one it seems.

Yusuke gets ready to pummel him only to skid to a halt by another announcement, "In the previous match, between contestant Jin and contestant Urameshi, when Urameshi landed out of the ring, there is some question as to whether the referee was to slow in her count." the voice calls, surprising Koto.

"Upon deliberation… Contestants Jin and Urameshi will be both given ring-out ten-counts and the match will be declared a draw!"

Yusuke and his teammates jaws go slack at this. Now that Yusuke has been given a ring-out, he's no longer allowed to fight, leaving the only one to still be able to fight, Risho, meaning that team Mashotsukai has won!

Koto tries to have the decision reconsidered, but there in no chance. There are cries coming from the crowd as they cheer on the decision, happy to see team Urameshi beaten.

"Risho..." a weakened voice calls from behind the smirking demon. Touya comes stumbling up onto the ring, a frown on his face.

"I'm not satisfied winning like this either. What are we supposed to tell Gama who gave his life? He fought fairly and squarely! As did Jin!" he calls, clearly upset.

Risho scoffs. "You'd best lose that pandering romanticism of yours. I told you, our goal is to win!" he retorts as the others look on, grasping that this has been another setup, involving Risho.

"But…" Touya tries to counter, only to have his eyes widen when Risho forms a coat of rock around his arm before swiping it across Touya's already injured stomach, throwing him back.

"If we can easily win without having to needlessly kill each other, then that will do." he states before turning to Koto. "Now what are you doing? Why don't you declare us the victors? I don't mind killing you and have a new referee brought out." he warns her as she steps back from his reach. The poor fox girl sure has a lot of bad luck on her side.

Yusuke steps in between them. "Do you know who it is that's the most dissatisfied? Do you?!" he glowers at Risho.

Risho only looks down his nose at him haughtily.

"Yusuke, let them have their victory." Hiei interrupts from the tent, looking quite ready to pull out the stops. "Just looking at him, you can see how foolish and meaningless their games are right?"

"There is no reason for us to play by their rules." he tells the boy, pumping up his power. "From now on, I'm playing by my own rules. There will be a survival game, and only those who are truly strong enough will live through it."

Yusuke's face remains tense as he speaks up. "You're right… I'm this close to tearing him apart myself. I'm with you Hiei, let's make a real show of running wild!"

Ruka is thrown back by Hiei's powers, not looking so flattering anymore as she cowers, trying to cover herself up as the cords on her body tear up.

As Koto gets ready to, although reluctantly go ahead with team Masho's victory, May stands up, readying herself to guard Kurama when all hell in going to break loose.

Kurama looks up at her surprised. "May, you should run!" he tries to persuade her, flinching as he moves.

"No way!" she counters stubbornly, knowing there is no way he can defend himself for long like this.

But before things get that far, a loud voice cuts in, "Hold it!"

They look over to see that Kuwabara has somehow gotten to his feet. "There is still a contestant capable of fighting!" he calls, making everyone look confused and in turn ticking him off.

"It's me!" he calls out, throwing off his shirt, causing Botan to go on a rant on him seeing he's injured. But a voice from a steward calling her interrupts her as he beckons her over.

The others look to Kuwabara who can barely stand up straight, wondering if he's seriously planning to go through with this. He looks determined. Oh boy…


	32. Chapter 32

They look on horrified as they watch their friend being beat up by a reinforced Risho, cringing as they hear his bones crack when Risho's armor comes into contact with his body.

There is little Kuwabara can do in return but to get up every time. He just doesn't have the strength to summon his Spirit sword. His chance of survival is growing more and more slim.

But… he just keeps getting back to his feet.

May wonders if him doing the honorable thing is really worth it at this point. Maybe it's better to go with Hiei plan of action before they are forced to bury the brave boy. She shivers at the thought.

After a particularly horrid strike, it really doesn't appear like he has anything left. So when Koto starts up another countdown, it looks like all hope is lost, but again he staggers to his feet, just in time. But it will most likely be the last time he will manage that.

"I can't watch anymore." May says, closing her eyes, feeling nauseous.

Risho smirks. "You're a fool! If you just stayed down, you would have had an easier death."

Kuwabara wipes a trickle of blood from his lips. "I ain't gonna die! Not alone that is! I'm taking you with me!" he declares determinately.

He turns to Yusuke, his expression one of resignation. "I'll leave the rest to you." he states, making their hearts freeze. He really has every intention of dying!

He and Risho rush towards each other full force, clashing. He grips onto Risho with all his strength, planning to end it, somehow…

"Kazuma!" a high voice screams in despair, loud enough to rise over all the other noise in the stadium. Ad that voice triggers something within Kuwabara.

With a feat of remarkable strength, he smashes Risho aside and out of the ring before cheerfully bounding towards where a girl with mint green hair and ruby eyes awaits like a happy little lamb.

"Huh? What happened?" May wonders, pulling her hands aside when she practically heard Kuwabara squeal.

"Who knows?" Kurama states, blinking in surprise as well. He's never seen the likes of it.

Risho isn't down yet though and rushes towards Kuwabara who seems all pumped up and energetic. He whips out his Spirit sword and with one slash, destroys Risho's armor.

He follows up with a swing like a bat and hurtles Risho high up into the stands.

He rushes back to the ring before Koto ends the ten count she started when both of them left the ring and scrambles on in the nick of time and thus winning the match for his team and having them advance to the semi-finals.

"Right then…" Yusuke mutters with his arms crossed, still baffled by what his friend just pulled off. One minute he's about to die, the next… Jeez.

"Ugh. Wake me up tomorrow. I'm done." May sighs, not caring how it looks as she drops onto her back and closes her eyes.

…

Yusuke dumps May on her bed, looking down at her for a moment, watching her curl up before smiling. He glances at Kurama who slowly lowers himself on his own bed. "Looks like you softened her up pretty good."

Kurama pauses as he raises a curious brow at Yusuke who just smiles knowingly for a moment before turning to the door. "Rest up!" he calls over his shoulder before exiting.

Kurama stares at the door for a moment before turning to May who snores softly. She put in a lot of energy to combat the Shimaneki grass deeply rooted in his body.

He counted on her to help him like she did before, for he wasn't sure he would survive otherwise. And again she proved a great help to him. He finds he has to be careful though, because she was willing to prove that she is will to put her own life on the line if it will help him in any way.

He would do the same the other way around of course… But he can't have her get hurt on his behalf. He sees it as his task to protect her for as long as he's able. Should he fail; he's afraid what dark path that would lead him on.

He gets to his feet, walking over to her before laying a soft kiss on her forehead, his mouth curving into a smile as she smiles subconsciously before relaxing again.

Turning he steps into the bathroom to clean himself up before going to bed as well. He too could use a peaceful night's sleep.

…

May yawns as she steps out of the bedroom the next morning, seeing Yusuke and Kuwabara shoveling food down their throats and Kurama quietly reading a book as he sips at his tea. Hiei and the Mask are nowhere to be seen as usual.

Kurama's eyes meet her for a moment, narrowing a little in amusement as she tries hard to flatten her bed head, causing her to blush in embarrassment.

Yusuke catches the silent interaction and jumps up, pulling May close as he wraps an arm around her shoulder. He smiles mischievously in Kurama's direction before turning to Kuwabara who is still eating like he can't get enough.

"Hey Kuwabara, don't you think these two are a little bit too comfortable with sleeping in the same room together?" Yusuke questions, his arms still slung over a red faced May. She eyes him wearily.

Kuwabara shrugs. "They slept in the same tent together for days. So what?"

Yusuke grins like a lecher. "Oh yeah? And you don't think they've ever done anything? All those nightly hours with just the two off them…?" he says suggestively, brows raised.

"Yusuke!" May shouts, reeling on him, embarrassment clear on her face.

Yusuke grins stupidly before his eyes fall on Kurama, who is quietly observing them, a hint of humor in his eyes as he fingers the donkey ear on the page of his book. Yusuke's face suddenly drops like a ton of bricks. "Oi. Kurama…" he starts.

"He's not even denying it…" Kuwabara gapes, wide-eyed.

May assesses Yusuke with curiosity, his eyes hard as they are set on the fox demon who meets his gaze unrelenting. The tension in the air is rising.

"Yusuke, might I point out that you are giving off mixed signals as to your approval." Kurama finally speaks up in a clinical way.

The black haired boy scoffs. "Yeah? Well that was before a joke turned into reality. Are you at least treating her right?" he pushes, his tone promising pain if he doesn't like what he hears coming out of his friend's mouth.

Kurama's lip twitches in amusement. "Of course. I'd never do anything she wouldn't want me to." he states bluntly, making Yusuke mutter 'Too much info' under his breath. May puts a hand to her face in a lame attempt at hiding. She wishes she could run off from this crazy showdown, but Yusuke's hold on her is too tight.

Kurama then smiles, casting away his teasing nature for Yusuke's and May's sanity. "Don't worry Yusuke. My only wish is to make May happy. I wouldn't dare to hurt her in any way or break her trust in me for that matter." he assures the boy, glancing at May who blushes, her lips quirking into a timid smile.

Yusuke finally relaxes, a smile appearing on his face as he drops his 'big-brother-mode'. How he even got the part is anyone's guess. May has been around way longer after all.

"That's all I want to hear." Yusuke says, giving Kurama the thumbs up.

Kuwabara blinks stupidly, pointing to the demon and the girl. "So you two are like together? For real?" he questions.

Kurama nods. "Though I would like to request some discretion on your behalf. I am currently not the most popular one around." he hints.

"Ah. Right, got it." Kuwabara nods in understanding.

At that moment Hiei steps into the room, wiping crumbs from his face. He eyes everyone as they stare at him. "What?" he asks stonily.

"Kurama and May are dating." Kuwabara blurts out, making Kurama sweat drop.

"Hn. What else is new?" Hiei scoffs in disinterest before claiming May's and Kurama's bathroom.

The two share a look, May shrugging pathetically while Kurama sighs. They are not looking forward to the girls finding out.


	33. Chapter 33

"I don't see the resemblance at all." May blinks as she eyes the blue bird-like creature perched atop Yusuke's head.

Yusuke in reply throws out his hands, "Finally! Someone who is not laughing their face off at my situation." He has had enough grief for a lifetime thanks to his hatched Spirit beast, dubbed Puu.

"No. He looks much more gentle and docile compared to your bad attitude and recklessness... He's better looking too." May continues, making Yusuke balk and Kuwabara spit out his breakfast laughing.

"Jeesh, well thanks a lot May." the detective grumbles grumpily, crossing his arms in annoyance while Puu squeaks in glee at the compliment.

May grins. She'll be damned if she is going to keep out of the fun.

After finishing breakfast, Yusuke jumps to his feet. "Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna check out the competition." he states before looking over at May.

"You're coming with me." He snatches her up by the arm and drags her after him, making her drop her sandwich. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you now you're hooking up with that fox boy." he explains.

"Hey!" she exclaims indignantly.

"I don't see you dragging Keiko around!" she argues as she's dragged out the door with Kuwabara following after them.

"Unlike you, Keiko's smart." he counters, making her hiss like an angry cat.

When they reach the stadium, Kurama, Hiei and the Mask are already there. The crowd is in an uproar. The match must be a good one if the fans are this excited.

"It's already over." Kurama informs them as they approach.

"What?!" Kuwabara exclaims. They were only a little late. "Unbelievable. You mean to tell me they settled everything in just the five minutes it took us to get here?"

"Two to be precise." Kurama points out dryly.

"It wasn't worth their trouble. Their opponents were just too weak." Hiei mutters before taking notice of Puu. "That's fine and all, but what is that ridiculous appendage growing on your head?" he asks Yusuke.

"It's a puberty thing." Yusuke replies grumpily. "By the way, Kurama, are your injuries doing okay?" he wonders.

Kurama nods. "I'm sure I'll have recovered by tomorrow."

He throws a quick smile towards May. She had him taking it easy all day yesterday. Normally she is a sweet girl, caring, but nearly bit his head off when he tried sneak out after a few hours of being restless.

Hiei smirks, "Stop trying to put up with it for your pride's sake." he taunts, knowing the fox is probably still sore all over.

Kurama blinks innocently. "It will be a fine contest to see which of us can put up with the most, wouldn't it?" he muses, knowing for a fact that Hiei is worse off than he is. The fire demon glances away sheepishly, avoiding eye contact.

"That's it!" Kuwabara exclaims, excited all of a sudden. "Kurama, have Yukina-san treat you!" he suggests, making Hiei's eyes grow wide in shock at the mention off the name.

"Who?" May wonders.

"She was at the stadium the day before yesterday." Kurama offers as explanation, making May hum. That's the girl Kuwabara went all nuts about.

"Between her healing abilities and your medicinal herbs, it can't miss!" Kuwabara chatters on.

"Actually, she says she came looking for her older brother!" he continues, making Hiei's expression darken. "Once the tournament is over, I'm going to help her search."

"Hm?" May tilts her head as she takes in Hiei's behavior, not to mention Yusuke who is smirking sneakily at him. What is she missing here?

"That sounds like trouble." Kurama muses. "Hiei, why don't we lend a hand too?" he suggests in a teasing manner and Hiei looks like he could strangle the redhead.

"I'll lend a hand too!" Yusuke pipes up with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

Kuwabara looks about as confused as May feels as they observe the scene. Before they can question it however, a commotion sounds in the stadium. And looking across from them, on the opposite side of the stadium, is Toguro with the rest of his team.

Each one of them is rather creepy looking; Some more than others. They wear an intimidating aura that's darker than Hiei's worst of moods and the boys tense when they come to their notice.

The younger Toguro brother points a challenging finger towards Yusuke, which he answers after recovering with a throat cutting motion. Toguro smirks before turning on his heel, leaving the stadium for what it is that day. Kuwabara sinks to his knees after sensing Toguro's uncovered power.

The tension is still high strung when the Masked fighter, or as May knows her to be, Genkai, cuts it, "At least you know how to give and take it as a man." she says airily, vexing Yusuke.

After Kuwabara recovers from his shaking knees, the team retreats to one of the locker rooms where Yusuke tries to cheer his friend up. After seeing them again and sensing Toguro's power, he is having a hard time keeping it together.

Suddenly the door swings open to reveal tomorrow's opponents, team Uraotogi. "You've forgotten about us, haven't you?" their leader states. And he might be right. The guys are already with their thoughts at the match with Toguro and trying to figure out how to win against him and his teammates.

They each introduce themselves: Kumomomotaro as the tall, blonde, bubblegum chewing guy. There are spades one his clothes; Makintaro is a dark, bulky man. Not looking to be the brightest of them; Uraurashima is a very short and feeble looking guy. He has a fishing rod slung over his shoulder; Shishiwakamaru is the guy that spoke up earlier. He looks to be a pretty boy with an ego. And then finally there is Onji. He is an elderly man with pointed ears.

"What do all of you want?" Yusuke asks bluntly, not caring much for their company. "No matter how much you bow your heads, we will not be holding back tomorrow." he adds carelessly.

Kumomomotaro spits out his gum in reaction. "The way you act like champions of justice makes me want to puke."

Before Yusuke can retaliate, Shishiwakamaru speaks up again, "Prepare yourselves. You will be the stepladders that will allow our names to be spread far and wide." he explains.

As they go to make our leave, Yusuke mutters under his breath; "You're not even worth consideration."

"You bunch of clowns!" Kuwabara adds, not happy with their attitude.

Shishi freezes mid-step at the insults while Yusuke calls out to him; If you wanted to be famous, you should have gone on TV pretty boy!"

Shishi whips around to face him, his face contorting into something unsettling with large horns protruding on his head. "I'll make sure you regret those words! I'll make sure of it." he shouts angrily before turning on his heel.

Kuwabara scoffs. "They're no match for us. I didn't feel any demon energy compared to Toguro coming from them."

"Yeah. As far as I'm concerned, they're just here to warm us up for the real fight." Yusuke agrees with a grin.

May decides to cut in then, having grown tired of observing, "They got this far Yusuke. A little precaution might be fitting." she warns him.

"The girl is right." Genkai speaks up, glaring is Yusuke's direction, "You're being too conceited."

She's being doing picking on Yusuke a lot May noticed. She feels something is brewing. There seems to be something she's trying to communicate with Yusuke without telling him, or even letting him on.

"Cut it the hell out already!" Yusuke growls, tired of the judgmental stares and bitchy one-liners. "You've been staring at me with that strange look for a while now!"

He punches the wall, successfully startling Botan who just appeared around the corner, making her drop all the drinks she's been carrying. Kurama and Hiei make no effort to stop them.

"What the hell is it you want to tell me?" Yusuke asks, wanting an explanation.

"That's simple." she replies in a straightforward voice. "The captain of the Toguro team is Toguro. The captain of the Urameshi team is Urameshi Yusuke. I want to tell you I have doubts as to whether or not they have enough power to withstand Toguro." she states bluntly.

"You what?" Yusuke breathes, trembling from anger.

Kuwabara at this point tries to cut in wanting to keep the peace. But it appears pretty pointless. Yusuke isn't one to take insults like that lying down. May believes because he secretly fears not having what it takes. He will never say it, but he's pretty insecure when it comes to Toguro.

"Let's step outside." Genkai suggest. Yusuke wastes no time stomping after her.

Botan looks after them worriedly. "Yusuke, stop it!"

"Leave them be. It's no big deal." Hiei cuts in, not impressed whatsoever.

"No, this could become a big deal." Kuwabara muses. "If they fight each other seriously, they both could keel over."

Kurama looks up, his eyes finding his pondering girlfriend. "What is it May? You don't seem worried." he points out.

"Ah. No, I'm not." she replies a bit absentmindedly, "It'll work out, I'm sure."

Genkai must want something from Yusuke; Get his act together, or something of the sort. Whatever she has planned, she hopes it will help Yusuke get more confident and the proper strength he needs for when he's facing Toguro in the finals.

* * *

 **It took me a while to get some time to write. Sorry for the wait.**

 **Special thanks to HoneyBunnyLemon who helped me on this part as Beta-reader. I enjoyed working with you and I hope we can continue to do so.  
**


	34. Chapter 34

"Urameshi hasn't come back to the hotel. Where the hell has he gone?" Kuwabara wonders, glancing outside past Hiei to the pouring rain.

"Indeed…" Kurama muses, looking down at his cards.

He and Kuwabara have engaged in a friendly game. He reaches to take one of the other boy's cards when Kuwabara mentions the upcoming match.

That reminds him, "Beginning with the semi-finals, I heard we will move to a different arena, so the conditions will be more severe too. No doubt about it."

"Fine with me!" Kuwabara calls excitedly. "Let them bring out the guns and arrows against us, I say!" he says confidently before picking a joker from Kurama's hand, making him balk.

The door to Kurama's shared bedroom opens to reveal May, fresh out of the shower, her hair still damp. She pauses by the window, taking in the storm raging outside.

"It's really coming down hard tonight… I hope they're not getting themselves sick." she mumbles, hoping that Yusuke and Genkai are at least high and dry somewhere.

Kuwabara waves it off, "I don't know about the Mask, but Yusuke has the health of a pack of horses combined. Never seen him get sick once, only try and pretend to get out of school though. Lousy actor…" he mutters the last part under his breath, but it has May smile a little.

Suddenly the door to the hotel room opens wide, revealing the girls. May's eyes fall upon the girl she has yet to properly meet and now that she sees her up close, something suddenly clicks….

"Oh my-…Argh!" she releases a strangled noise when a hand claps over her mouth so hard it nearly knocks her off her feet.

She slaps Hiei's hand away, turning to glare at the fire demon. "What the hell?!" she shouts, but is met with such a desperate stare that she falters. Through his eyes he's trying to convey a silent message.

After a minute of intense silence, May sighs, her shoulders sagging in dismay. She knows what he's trying to say. She doesn't know why, but Hiei doesn't want the word out there that his sister is right on the other side of the room. The jabs towards him earlier that day suddenly start to make a lot of sense.

All she says before turning away from him is, "Okay."

Visibly relieved that she won't start blabbing, Hiei sits back down. He returns to staring outside, or so he makes it appear. With a final shared look between May and Kurama, who nods at her with an understanding smile, May turns to the girls.

"Hello, you must be Yukina." she speaks up as she steps up to the ruby eyed girl, making the girls snap out of their musings on the weird behavior between Hiei and May.

The girl smiles gently, "I am. You must be May then? The girls told me a little about you."

May returns the smile, she can't help but feel all gooey inside from Yukina's calm and kind aura that just seems to absorb the room. It's like she took a long bath with calming scented candles and is ready to be lulled into the best sleep she will ever have… with kittens.

"N-nice to meet you." May stammers a little.

The girls join them, soon making a party out of their get together, but May's eyes are mostly on Puu, who looks pretty unhappy. She pets the spirit animal that has settled on her lap.

' _Yusuke's having a hard time huh? It will be okay. Push on a little longer Yusuke._ '

Noticing her pondering and the frown etched on her face, Kurama reaches a hand out, taking hold of her free hand and gently begins rubbing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand in a comforting gesture. May looks up, giving him a grateful smile. A sudden gasp tears their attention away from each other though. They find Botan across from them, her mouth wide open and her finger pointing accusingly at them.

"How could you not tell me May-chan?! I'm so disappointed and happy at the same time! Waaah!" she wails, making the two cringe and quickly hide their hands, but the damage is already done.

"Botched it up with your carelessness." Shizuru smirk and Kurama's eyes have grown large at his mistake, a blush dusting his cheeks in embarrassment.

Keiko looks nothing but happy and Yukina is slightly confused at why this is a big deal, but smiles warmly none the less.

"And here you left me thinking that maybe you and Hiei were into each other, waaaah!" Botan adds to her crying, making May and Hiei share a horrified look while Kuwabara cracks up.

…

May groans when the alarm starts to blear next to her ear. She quickly shuts the thing off before her eardrums explode. Sighing she turns on her other side, hiding her face in Kurama's chest, the smell of roses filling her nose. His arm tightens around her for a moment, his lips planting a kiss in her hair before he lets go, rolling away to get out of bed only to jerk back when a hand clutches tightly on the back of his t-shirt.

"May, love, I really need to get out." he sighs, looking back at her in amusement.

She slowly opens her eyes, looking back at him through her thick lashes. "You sure?"

He nods in answer before he's released from her death grip, "Your loss." she mutters, rolling into the comforter until she is resembles a spring roll lying in the middle of the bed. Kurama chuckles at her antics.

"You're not leaving the bed today?" he asks teasingly, leaning over her.

"I will eventually. Someone has to make sure you don't kill yourself." she speaks sleepily from her wrap.

Kurama raises a brow. "Don't you mean, 'don't get killed'?"

She shakes her head. "No, no one can kill you but yourself with your crazy actions. I'm here to remind you that I can and will find you if you pull anything and make you regret it." she tells him casually, though there is a hidden promise in her words.

"Alright then. Though I'm not sure what to think about your faith in me. It's uplifting and insulting at the same time." Kurama says lightheartedly, leaning down further to peck her forehead before heading towards the bathroom.

"Consider it a compliment and a deterrent, because I love you and I don't want to lose you." she says to his back, making him pause.

He looks back over his shoulder, meeting her sapphire eyes as she gazes across the room at him over the rim of the comforter. He can't help but give her a loving smile before glancing towards the clock.

"I think I can spare another five minutes." he states before stalking towards her. "Is there any room left in that burrito of yours?"

* * *

 **Thanks again to HoneyBunnyLemon for Beta reading and for your positive feedback!**

 **Also thanks to those who reviewed. I really appreciate your kind words.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Sorry everyone for the long wait once more.**

 **Thanks to HoneyBunnyLemon for Beta reading and the feedback!  
**

* * *

May doesn't have words for what is happening right now. Team Uraotogi's members really aren't that though, but what they lack in strength, they excel in trickery. Right now, one specific trick is turning her boyfriend to nothing, zero, zilch.

Uraurashima had pulled out a red box of sorts, telling Kurama that its contents will make the teen younger until he reduces to the point before conception. May can't imagine the end result as there is nothing before that, you simply do not exist.

She can sense his energy waning with each passing second. The dense fog in the dome created by Uraurashima keeps her and everyone else from seeing what is happening to Kurama. She can only sense that it's not good. She begins to feel a familiar sense of panic starting to settle in her stomach.

Hiei and Kuwabara are looking tense as well. With only the three of them fighting right now since Yusuke and Genkai have still not returned, this fight is though enough as it is. And not knowing what is happening to their friend makes their stress levels sky rocket.

As the three of them are preparing for the worst, when Kurama's demon energy slips below a point for them to register any more, a sudden spike of energy reaches them full force.

"What is that?" May wonders as she eyes the mist swirling in front of her wearily.

It's such a strong force it makes her knees weak. It feels like Kurama, but yet it doesn't. She's trying hard to make sense of it. Suddenly her eyes widen in realization. Kurama was not nothing before he was an infant!

She looks towards Hiei who smirks, confirming her suspicions. This is insane. Could Uraurashima have unwittingly turned the Kurama she knows back into his previous form, before his spirit traveled to the human world?

May glares into the mist. She wishes she could see now more than ever. She wants to know if the boy she fell in love with is still there or if he's been replaced by someone she doesn't know.

"What the heck is that guy doing?" Kuwabara, frustraded and annoyed that he can't see anything still, cuts into her thoughts.

She looks up to see him eying Shishiwakamaru who has unsheathed his katana. And before anyone can stop him he has thrown it, cutting right through the barrier and leaving a puncture where the smoke comes pouring out.

"What did he do that for?" Kuwabara muses.

They watch the barrier disappear completely and finally the smoke is given room to dissipate. At last they can see what is going on inside and they are in for a shock.

Uraurashima in nowhere to be found, but there is a red-skinned demon's corps in the ring, Shishiwakamaru's katana pierced through its neck. But the biggest surprise is standing tall in front of the dead creature.

Standing at around seven feet tall is a lean man with long silver hair cascading down his back, reaching down to a tail of the same color. His golden eyes are set on the killer of his opponent, watching him intently.

May is taking in every inch of the man that is unmistakably the famed Youko Kurama. She doesn't even note the child sized Yuri, their new referee, popping back into adulthood within the blink of an eye.

May is apprehensive of this form, has his mind changed as much as his body? She's scared to find out. She clutches her hands and watches him, trying to find the faintest trace of the man she loves. Sure, she'd be lying if the sight of the fox doesn't make her mouth water. He looks like an Adonis for crying out loud. But if that means that he has had to trade in his complete character, then she really couldn't care less. She just wants the old Kurama back.

A glance is thrown her way, but before she can decipher anything from it, he returns to his former form. He's a little disheveled looking, but there is no doubt that he's back to his old self completely.

He is announced to be the winner, but hardly looks satisfied with the win. It was Shishiwakamaru who killed his opponent after all.

He eyes the demon who retrieves his sword from his former teammate. He takes out his dice once more. It lands on Shishiwakamaru's name and 'free choice'.

The demon's fangirls scream at the prospect of seeing him fight while the remaining members of Team Urameshi look to each other who will go next. But when Shishi antagonizes Kuwabara, his choice is quickly made.

Kuwabara mindlessly rushes at him, but is held back by his teammates who also are eager to fight. May watches the sparks fly between them as they try to out reason each other before sweat dropping as they decide to battle it out in a match of Janken.

She turns away from them with a sight, "Embarrassing…"

Kuwabara seems to win, but Hiei calls him out as a cheater. May never thought she would hear someone like Hiei use the word 'latesies'. His Jagan glowing blue and making Kuwabara sweat a little. They go a few more rounds they play before a decision is reached. The round is won by Kuwabara, but this time through honest luck. The other two look completely bummed out.

"Oh suck it up boys. Let him have his fun." May tells them, rolling her eyes. They were acting like children.

Excited, Kuwabara jumps into the ring to start off… possibly the shortest fight ever.

"Where did Kuwabara go?" May wonders.

Shishiwakamaru threw a veil over him and then he was just… gone. She glances around the arena, hoping to see him pop up somewhere.

"I don't sense him." Kurama mutters worriedly.

"Not even I know where he went." Shishi chuckles. "You'll have to ask this thing." he motions to the veil. "The mantle of Death."

May's eyes narrow, "I've heard of it. It's like a teleportation portal gone mad. Let's hope he ended up somewhere safe."

Shishiwakamaru throws the dice once more. It's a free choice for his team against Mask. May frowns. She hasn't seen Genkai around in a while. As Hiei goes to step up, a hand falls on his shoulder.

Looking back they see her standing behind him. She is still masked, but her energy is different from before. Yusuke isn't with her either. What happened between them? What changed?

Hiei frowns down at her, accusing her of being someone else entirely, until she reveals that she transferred her Reiki to Yusuke. May watches her closely as she steps up to face Shishi. Will she still be able to handle a fight with him?


	36. Chapter 36

Although Shishi initially seemed disappointed with the challenge, Genkai proved herself a formidable foe. However, when her mask is ripped from her face he calls a foul, believing her to be a different person than the fighter in previous fights. May understands where he's coming from, but also knows just how wrong he is.

"I knew it was a different person." Hiei scoffs, making May glance at him.

"No," she starts, surprising him and Kurama. "It's been Genkai all along." she reveals.

"Genkai?" Kurama asks surprised.

May can tell he recognizes the name. She is very well known for her power, so it's no wonder.

He turns his eyes to his girlfriend, "You knew it was her." he states instead of asking, knowing he's right.

May nods. "I've known her for a very long time. I told no one, because it wasn't up to me," she explains. "But now I understand her picking a fight with Yusuke earlier. She needed him to herself, to give to him her power, so he can have a chance at defeating Toguro." she muses, looking back towards the veteran fighter.

"Tell me, if that old woman is Genkai… how did she look appear so young earlier? No one is going to believe her to be the same person as before now." Hiei grumbles.

"This is rather problematic." Kurama muses as the crowd starts to demand their execution for cheating. Koto decides to pause the fight so the committee can figure out what to do. And seeing as said committee has always helped them so much in the past… note the sarcasm.

After a moment, Koto receives the verdict, "In regards to the Uraotogi's team's claim that the Urameshi team is using different contestants, the outcome of our deliberation is; 'No problem!' There will be no penalty and the match is to continue as-is!" she announces.

"That's…. unexpected." May deadpans.

However, Shishi and the crowd are outraged. It is then that help comes from an unexpected corner. Toguro has taken the microphone from Koto, "I will explain." Immediately everyone falls silent.

He supports that Genkai is the same person who fought before. "Practitioners of the Spirit wave, when they use their powers at their maximum, have their cells activated, and their bodies are returned to the age when they were at their peak. In other words, her appearance now is her true appearance." he explains calmly. "Will that do for you Genkai?" he smirks, looking down at the woman in the ring who has not said a word yet.

Murmurs echo throughout the stadium at the mention of her name. Having said what needed to be said, Toguro takes his leave without another word.

Shishi now looks to be over the moon. He is entertained by the idea of killing someone as renown as Genkai. He feels fame is within an arm's reach. However, despite having given Yusuke most of her power, Genkai is, by no means, ready to lie down and die to oblige the spoiled demon.

The fight continues without further interruption and Genkai shows everyone that she is no pushover. Despite all his cruel tactics, Shishi is just not powerful to beat her. When the match finishes, he is, although his pride is hurt, very much impressed with her.

Juri pronounces Genkai the winner, leaving only one final fighter on the opposing team, whose age must be close to Genkai's. He would have appeared human if it weren't for the pointed ears.

He's very excited as he rolls the dice to decide his opponent. It lands on Kuwabara. Juri asks him to try again, believing Kuwabara to be dead, but said boy's voice rings through the stadium, announcing his presence.

"Kazuma Kuwabara is back in action!" he calls, striking a pose making his teammates look embarrassed at his antics.

"I'm guessing it was too much to ask if that veil could have transported him a little further off?" Hiei mutters.

May cuts Kuwabara short as he keeps on ranting, "Hey, if you don't get down here in two seconds, I'm telling Shizuru how you botched up your last fight." she threatens.

"She already knows… but yeah, coming." he grumbles, toning it down before finally making his way to the ring. At least he got the message.

Finally the fight starts and Onji, Kuwabara's opponent, looks to be pretty spry for an old guy. He taunts Kuwabara who is unable to lay a hand on him as he bounces around from one end of the ring to the other. He's really giving him the run around.

May sighs, glancing towards Genkai. "How's Yusuke?" she asks. The woman returns the glance.

"He'll be okay. He came trough." she tells May with a tiny smile. May can tell that Genkai is glad the boy reached her expectations.

"Will he be ready?" May questions next, seeing Genkai's smile falter into a look of thoughtfulness. "As ready as he'll ever be. He has the tools, and I suppose if he can use them… There are no promises, but there's hope." she states. May muses over this. "Maybe that's enough." "Maybe." Genkai agrees.

"It's no good. It's a trap!" Kurama calls, pulling their attention back to the fight. They observe Kuwabara rushing towards Onji aimlessly. Before he can put on the breaks, Onji has created a bubble of sorts and although Kuwabara tries to slash through it, he finds himself being taken in and stuck.

"To think he would fall for a trap into the trap on his own." Kurama sighs. "He's truly is a fool." Hiei reminds him pointedly. "An fool and an idiot." Genkai pipes up in agreement before Onji reveals to be the maker of Shishi's veil.

May dully waves Kuwabara goodbye as the bubble rises in the air, shrinking as it goes. She already knows where there is going. With an angry rant, he disappears from sight. He'll be back.

Onji takes back a familiar dice from his pocket. "So then, who will be next? I have a hunch it will be Kurama's name who will come up. If you beat me, then I won't mind telling the secret of the smoke from the Reverse Treasure Box that Uraurashima used." he taunts.

Kurama narrows his eyes dangerously. "Why don't you hurry up and roll the die?" he sneers uncharacteristically. It seems Onji hit a snare. May glances towards Kurama worriedly. She's guessing he's more desperate to find out more about what happened then he let on.

Before she can think it over further, the die is rolled and lands on 'Mask'. Genkai steps forward looking unamused as Onji starts taunting her. "How about you put end to that grating old-timer talk and disguise already." she scoffs, surprising her teammates. What disguise?

Onji chuckles. "Well now, you have seen right through me haven't you? And here I even changed the wavelength of my demon energy. Disguises are a hobby of mine. Please don't think ill of me." He explains lightheartedly. "But very well, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"The reason I disguised myself as an old man is because the elderly are the creatures I hate the most." He explains as he literally tears his costume off to reveal something none of them expected: a clown, as brightly colored as they might come.

May zones out as he starts to speak, noting he has a taste for drama. Despite all of this, she can't focus on his words when the sight of the guy is making her eyes hurt. She might need therapy for this.

As the fight commences, it appears he's not only a showman in looks alone. But despite her lack of energy, Genkai makes quick work of 'Suzuki the beautiful', all the while making more of a fool of him then he manages to do so himself.

"If it weren't for those nifty things he created for his teammates, he'd be pretty useless, wouldn't he?" May muses.

"Speaking of useless…" Hiei comments, seeing Kuwabara make his way back towards them.

May shakes her head, watching the final seconds of the glory that was Suzuki absentmindedly. They have practically won today's matches already. Soon the boy's most difficult challenge waits. If she could wish on anything, anything at all, even Suzuki's silly painted star would do, she would wish for them all to get through this Tournament alive. Nothing else mattered.

 **G'day to you all! Best wishes! I hope you had fun over the holidays.**

 **Again, many thanks to HoneyBunnyLemon for Beta reading. I think the next part won't be a very long wait. I have it pretty much written down. So hang tight people.**


	37. Chapter 37

"What's bothering you?" May asks Kurama from her perch after having watched him brooding for a while now. He's been acting strange since he went and watched Toguro's team fight in the semi-finals. It was soon after their own fight. He's so consumed in thought that it's beginning to make May worry, "Did something happen?"

Kurama blinks, clearing his forest green eyes to spare his love a glance. "Nothing much, please don't worry May. I'm just thinking on a strategy." he excuses, making her perk a brow, unimpressed.

"What do you take me for?" she mutters, not believing a word he says. He should know better than to give her petty lies. She sighs, looking up at the sky when she receives no further answer. The only thing cutting through the silence is the wind.

Now that she thinks about it, Kurama isn't the only one that's been acting strangely. Genkai too has not been acting like herself. Maybe it's the finals coming up that's stressing them out?

A touch pulls her from her thoughts and she looks down to finds her hands in Kurama's. She pulls her eyes up to look into his questioningly. He doesn't say anything, just tilts his head to rest it against hers, closing his eyes.

She lets him for a moment before reaching up, cupping his cheek as she pulls away. "You're worrying me fox." she gently scolds.

He smiles half-heartedly, meeting her gaze. "My apologies. There is a lot on my mind right now." he admits, making her roll her eyes jokingly.

"No kidding." She takes a deep breath, "I think I know a bit of what it is that is going through your head, but-…."

She's cut off by a massive amount of energy over her, engulfing her in it's power.

Kurama looks around wearily. "I've never felt a demon energy like this before! What's going on?"

May squeezes his hands tightly, feeling dizzy from the amount of energy. She has a bad feeling about this. Just as sudden as it hits, the clearing grows eerily quiet. A heavy feeling hangs in the air and May finds herself shaking a little.

"Genkai…" she whispers.

"Her energy disappeared." Kurama says in realization.

"She's gone." May states, feeling a hole settle in her heart. She's oh so familiar with death, but after knowing someone for so long… it hurts either way.

"May…" Kurama breathes sadly, seeing the tears glisten in her eyes. He's never actually seen her cry now that he thinks about it. He wastes no time in pulling her close to him. She buries her face in his shoulder with a tiny whimper.

….

Once May calmed down, she and Kurama sat together in silence, Kurama once again lost in thought. He hasn't told May about his encounter with Karasu, he doesn't want her to worry even more than she already has. But this meeting disturbed him more than any before.

Karasu is better than him at everything as far as he has seen en sensed. The possibility of getting killed during a fight with him is very likely. He doesn't know how to defeat Karasu the way he is now. If only…. But how?

This isn't looking good for him, that's for sure. And if he can't win, what will happen then? What will happen to May if he perishes? He glances towards her sullen face with a frown etched on his face.

A voice calling his name cuts through his thoughts and they both look up to find Kuwabara running their way.

"Finally I've found someone!" he shouts in relief before coming to a stop before them as Kurama gets to his feet.

"Have you guys seen that Urameshi punk around?" he wonders.

"No." Kurama states softly.

Kuwabara crosses his arms with a frown. "Where the hell could he have gone? The moment he woke up, he took off some place looking pale." he explains, making May look up curiously. Yusuke must've sensed it too, Toguro and Genkai…

"And Ba-san said she had some important business to take care of by herself, and she hasn't come back either! Of all the…!" Kuwabara continues rating. May look up at him sadly. He doesn't know, does he?

Before she can open her mouth, a noise reaches Kurama's ears, making him whip around. "Who's there?!" he demands.

From the woods, a blonde young demon appears at Kurama's call. He's covered in bandages.

"Who are you?" Kuwabara questions, not recognizing him.

"The beautiful demon battler Suzuki!" the man announces in irritation.

"Suzuki?" Kuwabara muses, searching his memories before it dawns on him, "You're the one who was beaten so horribly by Genkai-, the one who was also Onji, that Suzuki?!" he exclaims in surprise.

Suzuki's eye twitches at the memory and of not being called beautiful alongside his name. He goes on a little rant, with Kurama staring at him intently. "What?" Suzuki questions finally.

"Oh, it's nothing." Kurama answers cooly. "I would ask what business you have with us." he continues, wishing to get to the point.

Suzuki suddenly seems to remember what he came to do in the first place, "I've come to give you something." he states, holding up two items. One is the handle of a katana and the other a flask with a red liquid in it, and something floating inside of it. May gets to her feet, gazing at them curiously.

"The Fruit of Former Lives and the Sword of Trials." he announces, handing the flask to Kurama and the 'sword' to Kuwabara. "These are the items that I gave to Uraurashima and Shishiwakamaru." he reveals, making Kurama calculate within seconds what the flask holds for him. May can see the radars in his head spinning.

"The Fruit of Former Life is the fleshy part of the Tokitadare blossom, recently discovered in the Demon Realm. Uraurashima used it in a mist form. However, if you drink it in a liquid, you should be able to return to your Yoko form for a long time." Suzuki explains to Kurama before turning to Kuwabara.

"The Sword of Trials is made from a Leechcedar, and draws out the energy of whoever holds it in order to grow." he then explains that both items are still in their experimental stage and that he doesn't know if there are any terrible side effects. That is not very reassuring.

"Suzuki, why give up your items to our team?" May questions, finding it odd that he does. Is there some catch?

He pauses as he was starting to leave, "I once fought against Toguro myself." he reveals, making her eyes widen. "Just from seeing him at thirty percent I was overcome by terror. I would have licked the bottoms of his boots to save my life. That's how bad I fell apart, begging for my life. When I did, he was moved to compassion and said; 'When someone goes beyond disgracing themselves like this; I lose even my will to kill them. I see you as nothing more than scum'."

May tilts her head. "I'm not sure those are words of compassion…" she breathes. However, Suzuki continues undisturbed.

"Afterwards, I improved my skills, changed my appearance and name and led the Uraotogi team to the tournament. But then, you guys worked us completely over… I'm not asking you to take revenge for me. I just want to believe that there's someone stronger than Toguro. I want to believe that someone will come along and destroy Toguro's sense of value." he explains passionately before leaving the three of them.

A silence fills the air as they each contemplate on what just occurred and the possible repercussions, that is until a shrill ringing cuts through the air.

May quickly whips out her communicator. "What is it?" she asks Koenma rather impatiently. He doesn't look effected by her tone however.

"May, I need you here." he tells her, his eyes telling her not to argue. There is something important he needs her for.

Her face slackens before she nods. "I'll be right with you."

Putting away the communicator she turns to the two boys. "Kuwabara, Kurama…." she starts, giving them both a pointed look, but Kurama more so. "Be careful with those items." she warns.

They both nod obediently, but May still feels reluctant to leave them to themselves. With a sigh, she turns, leaving them, hoping they don't get themselves killed with those items.

* * *

 **Thank you for the reviews!**

 **Once again, thank you to HoneyBunnyLemon for Beta-reading!**


	38. Chapter 38

May stares at the back of the boy she hasn't seen in a few days now. He's seated, staring into the darkness of the cave in which he received his final training from Genkai.

"May." his sorrow filled voice calls, sensing her presence there.

She steps forward, crouching down beside him. "Koenma told me I could find you here." she says quietly, taking a look at his face. She doesn't need to ask him how he's feeling.

"Yusuke, Genkai asked me to give you a message." she starts, making his glistening eyes turn to hers.

"You've talked to her?" he questions.

She nods in reply. She has indeed been to see Genkai before she passed on. It was a conversation that sorted out her feelings and now she hopes to do the same for Yusuke.

"She says, 'I really had to struggle, because you were such a poor pupil. I don't want to see your mug for a good while, so don't be coming over here'." May quotes directly from Genkai's mouth. When she told May to pass the message, she couldn't help but smile. That's Genkai for you.

"Also, she had a final request; 'Win', she said." May finishes, watching Yusuke hang on to every word.

"T-that old hag…" he stammers, new tears setting themselves free and rolling down his already wet cheeks.

He briskly wipes at them, gritting his teeth as a new form of determination settles in his mind. He jumps to his feet, surprising May. She looks up at him as he looks to the stars with a smile.

He takes a stance, pointing his finger to the sky. "Genkai, here is my reply!"

A tremendous amount of Spirit energy starts to whip around him like an angry wind. May quickly gets to her feet, staring at him in wonder. He's grown so much stronger. "I'll drive it all the way to the Spirit world!"

Finally he fires his salute to Genkai, shooting it off into the atmosphere above like a shooting star. It takes a long time for it to disappear from sight. Every being on the island must have taken notice to it as it illuminated everything for a moment. He exhales, letting his arms fall to his side as he continues to watch the light soar through the sky.

"Do you think it reached her?" he wonders quietly as May comes to stand next to him, following his line of sight.

She smiles slightly. "I'm sure it did." she nods, leaning closer to Yusuke as he puts his arm around her shoulders in comfort. "Loud and clear." she muses, whiping a lonely tear from her eye.

…

Later, May barges into her shared bedroom with a loud yawn. She barely manages to close the door behind her before letting herself face first into the sheets, releasing a deep sigh of contentment at the feeling of the expensive cotton underneath her fingertips.

Today has been hellish to say the least. She can't wait to drift of into a peaceful sleep. She can't even be bothered to change into nightclothes. However, there is one thing missing that is keeping her from doing so.

The bed dips next to her. Oh, there he is. She hums in pleasure as nails gently rake through her hair and over her scalp, her muscles turning to putty. This is nice.

With a tired smile she turns to look up at Kurama, only to get the shock of her life. She tumbles, head first, off the bed with a shriek. The notion is followed by an amused chuckle.

Holding onto her chest to keep her heart from bursting out at the surprise, May peers over the edge of the bed to see if her eyes aren't playing tricks on her.

Oh dear kami. Looking down at her with an amused smirk is a silver-eared fox demon. His amber eyes have her staring up at him baffled for a moment. "C-couldn't you have given me a heads up?!" she gasps finally.

He smiles crookedly as he gets to his feet, slowly making his way around the bed. "I would, but I didn't want to disturb you. You looked very… peaceful." Yoko finishes, crouching down before May.

She gazes at him unsurely, not sure how to act and he must've noticed because his expression turns as soft as can be for a dangerous ancient fox demon. He slowly reaches out; tilting May's head to have her eyes meet his straight on once his finger rests below her chin.

"Do not fear me May. It's only me." he urges gently. "I'm still Kurama, just in my original form."

She takes a moment to study his features more carefully. This form actually carries some of the same characteristics as Kurama's human form, but beside the obvious differences, his features are sharper and his skin slightly paler.

She raises a delicate brow, pursing her lips before blurting out, "What's your mother's name?"

"Shiori." he replies without a second thought, looking amused.

"Favorite color?"

"Green."

"Grade average?"

"Ninety-seven percent."

"Show off. Birthday?"

"December twenty-ninth."

"Where did we first meet?"

"Hospital."

"First date?"

"Haven't officially been on one yet."

"My favorite scent?"

"Me….?"

May flicks him on the forehead. "Nope, it's Honeysuckle."

Yoko sighs, rolling his eyes slightly. "It's unfair to ask me things you haven't disclosed before, but it is duly noted… Now, do I get your stamp of approval?" he asks, raising a daring brow.

"Oh alright." May gives in, before sucking in a breath when his large hands lift her to her feet as he rises. He towers over her form, his daunting presence leaving her weak in the knees. This takes some getting used to she realizes.

"So… you took some of that… juice huh?" she starts awkwardly. "Any strange side effects?"

"Not as of yet." he answers. "I haven't been in this form for long. Only just before you came in."

"I can't begin to tell you how much more powerful I feel… my heightened senses alone…" he explains as he saunters across the room towards the window, his tail swaying gently with each step. "This will be just what I need in the finals."

There is relief in his voice. May sits herself down on the edge of the bed, quietly observing him. It's no wonder he feels like that. His whole being oozes power.

"Do you think it will last long enough to win you a match?" she asks, making him shrug.

"Only time will tell. Why? Do you miss my other appearance? Is how I appear to you now not pleasing to you?" he asks, looking back at her over his shoulder with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

May's eyes widen, "W-what are you talking about? You look fine. Y-…" she cuts herself short when she noticed he has stalked back to her.

He lets a finger run over her bottom lip. "I was just teasing." he states in a breathy chuckle.

May huffs. Of course he was. If that isn't Kurama… She tries to suppress a yawn, but couldn't. She wasn't able to hide how tired she was. These past few days have been long and exhausting in every sense of the word.

"You're tired May. It's alright to go to sleep. Don't stay awake on my account." he tells her.

She shakes her head in reply. "No, it's fine. I can stay up until you're, well, your other self again. Just in case." she argues.

Yoko smiles down at her. "You've had a long day…" he starts, sweeping her off her feet before laying her down on the bed. He pins her down when she moves to sit up. "I want you to sleep, don't worry about me." he says resolutely.

He knows he has her when she sighs, her eyes already half-lidded. His lips twitch upward, before leaning down and capturing her lips in a kiss. When he releases her, her eyes are shut. "Goodnight." he whispers in her ear before draping the sheets over her form.

* * *

 **Thank you guys for the great feedback once again. And of course I have to give credit to** ** **HoneyBunnyLemon** for Beta-reading. It's good to have someone fine-tune each chapter and filter out my silly mistakes.**


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